ABSTRACT
This chapter is written in a Nordic spirit. It would be regrettable if the common understanding of legal questions so characteristic of Nordic law could not survive. Nordic cooperation today finds a complex position of tradition, internationalization and national politics and characterizes law making and legal thinking in the Nordic countries. The Nordic countries include five countries with different histories and different laws. In fact, law is always national even if the national law need not be of national origin; it can be a result of borrowing law or legal institutions from other countries or other legal systems. Court decisions, legal rules or legal literature of other Nordic countries may be cited but they will remain only advisory or sources of inspiration. Nordic legal cooperation was undeniably challenged by cooperation within the European Union (EU), based on institutions and obligations much more effective than the soft guidelines and voluntary arrangements underpinning Nordic cooperation.
