ABSTRACT
The issue of full membership of the European Union still represents a relatively new and unfamiliar topic within Finnish politics. Indeed, the issue was introduced quickly and unexpectedly into Finnish domestic politics, especially as for the most part, the idea of Finnish EU membership had traditionally been resisted. None the less, guided by their political elites, the Finns underwent a rapid change of attitudes. Indeed, the relative confusion of the Finnish people was reflected in the fact act that throughout the period up until the referendum in October 1994, 20 per cent of the population felt unable to take up a position on the issue.
