ABSTRACT
With the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union the confines and divides of the Cold War period that had largely constrained interactions within the region were replaced by a sense of openness and adventure. Civil society in the form of NGOs, local municipalities and cities also became engaged in a multitude of transnational linkages, particularly between the Nordic and Baltic States, and with a particular focus on cultural exchanges, but also on charity and self-sacrifice on the part of the Nordic partners. In a broad perspective, the dynamism that originated mainly with the regional and local actors seems to have to some extent stalled in Europe’s North, although the various institutions established are there and continue to yield results. In some cases the structures have even expanded, as indicated by the fact that between 2003–2004 two more Euroregions were established, one in Kaliningrad.
