ABSTRACT

Pragmatism has been the keyword often used to describe the essence of Finland's integration policy. It refers to the specific Finnish approach to finding a balance between economic requirements and the political constraints caused by Finland's policy of neutrality. The cornerstones of Finland's pragmatic integration policy were laid down in the European free trade association (EFTA) solution in 1960-1961. Finland's approach was designed to satisfy the essential economic interests of Finland, both in the Nordic region and in the major markets in the rest of Europe and also to take into consideration the relatively fragile state of the domestic market. In 1984 the European community declared its intention in the Luxembourg Declaration to both intensify and enlarge cooperation with EFTA. Finland's main interest is the opening of negotiations on the establishment of the European economic space between EFTA and the Community.