ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at co-operation from a variety of perspectives relevant for the demilitarized Aland Islands. It starts with conceptual issues related to security co-operation, briefly introduces security integration in the European Union and moves on to regional co-operation. The chapter explores the period of the last twenty years, witnessing Finland's enhanced co-operation with North Atlantic Treaty Organization as well as shifts in Finnish views on multilateral and regional security. It describes that the Aland Islands are looked at in the context of regional co-operation and integration. Alandic politicians appreciate the self-government of the islands, but support for Nordic co-operation is also strong. Since 2004, all the Baltic Sea coastal states with the exception of Russia are part of the EU, and the Baltic Sea region has also been addressed in EU policies. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) debate appears constantly ongoing in Finland, and the political institutions further boosted NATO debates in 2016.
