ABSTRACT
Finland joined the EU in 1995. Membership was only opposed by farmers and the rural population who believed that the accession would threaten their sources of livelihood (Tiilikainen 2003: 150). Their fears are reflected in the accession protocol that grants special EU support to Finnish rural communities. Overall, Finland’s financial relation with the EU is balanced (Auffermann 2003). Finnish public support to EU membership has remained relatively constant over time, varying between 55 percent and 60 percent. Eurobarometer polls show that 57 percent of the Finns support widening and deepening the EU (Eurobarometer 2003a). Successful parliamentary ratification of the constitutional text – although postponed due to the EU’s “reflection period” – is highly likely. Traditional Euro-skeptic parties are the Green Party (Agrarian) (8.0 percent), the Leftist Alliance (9.9 percent) and the Christian League (5.3 percent) (Taggart 1998).
