ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how the countries in the region pursue their foreign policies individually as well as how they interact within the European Union (EU) context to gauge to what extent true commonality – or potential for that – actually exists in the North. It is divided into three parts. It first discusses key changes and continuations in the individual foreign policies of the Northern European Member States. The chapter then explains a case-study concerning the roles the Northern Europeans have played in the formation of the EU's policies towards the East. It is argued that an analysis concerning Russia, EU enlargement, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and Eastern Partnership (EaP) shows both the potential as well as the limits of joint approaches between the Northern Member States. The chapter explores the degree and likely future trajectory of foreign and security policy commonality at the regional level and within the EU context.
