ABSTRACT
The Nordic countries have rarely been at the forefront of efforts designed to promote integration and cooperation in Western Europe. None gave serious consideration in the 1950s to joining up with the Six in developing integration through the creation of the supranational institutions. Preference was generally given to intergovernmental cooperation and subsequently the pursuit of trade interests through the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Consequently, prior to 1995, only Denmark was to become a member of the European Community (EC). However, the Nordic countries did not remain aloof from developments in Western Europe. For trade reasons, relations with the EC were, from the outset, often at the top of each country’s foreign policy agenda. Hence, for much of the period 1958-84 a primary foreign policy objective of the Nordics was accommodation with Brussels.
