Denmark — Bridge between the Nordic Countries and the European Communities?
| DOI | 10.1177/001083677501000103 |
| Published date | 01 March 1975 |
| Author | Carsten L. Sørensen,Niels Amstrup |
| Date | 01 March 1975 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Denmark —
Bridge
between
the
Nordic
Countries
and
the
European
Communities?
NIELS
AMSTRUP
&
CARSTEN
L.
SØRENSEN
Institute
of
Political
Science,
University
of
Aarhus
Amstrup,
N.
&
Sørensen,
C.
L.
Denmark -
Bridge
between
the
Nordic
Countries
and
the
European
Communities?
Cooperation
and
Conflict,
X,
1975,
21-32.
In
the
public
debate
preceding
the
Danish
EC-referendum
in
October
1972
an
idea
of
Denmark
as
a
’bridge’
between
the
Nordic
countries
and
the
EC
was
brought
for-
ward.
This
article
examines
the
use
and
meaning
of
this
idea
as
perceived
by
the
decision-makers.
After
the
failure
in
1970
of
the
negotiations
on
a
future
Nordic
Eco-
nomic
Union
(NORDEK)
and
the
Danish
application
for
EC-membership,
Danish
pro-marketeers
made
the
’bridge’-idea
more
and
more
articulate
to
reassure
those
who
might
be
worried
about
future
Nordic
cooperation.
The
debate
after
the
Danish
referendum
reveals
that
the
idea
of
Denmark
as
a
bridge
was
useful
as
an
argument
in
domestic
politics
preceding
the
referendum,
but
has
had
little
utility
as
a
foreign
policy
doctrine.
What
is
left
of
the
’bridge’-idea
when
prospects
for
Denmark
as
a
member
of
both
the
Nordic
system
and
the
EC-system
are
analyzed,
is
a
Danish
desire
to
promote
integration
between
the
two
systems
or
at
least
to
minimize
the
distance
as
much
as
possible.
Niels
Amstrup
&
Carsten
Lehmann
Sørensen,
Institute
of
Political
Science,
University
of
Aarhus.
I.
ORIGINS
OF
THE
’BRIDGE’-IDEA
The
idea
of
Denmark
as a
’bridge’
be-
tween
the
Nordic
countries
and
the
Euro-
pean
Communities
(EC) -
or
at
least
the
expression
itself -
dates
back
to
the
highly
charged
market
debate
in
Denmark
in
the
months
before
the
referendum
on
2
October
1972.
It
is
important
to
keep
in
mind
that
the
bridge
idea
is
a
political
slogan
with-
out
any
precise
meaning.
A
main
issue
in
the
debate
(which
will
be
treated
in
detail
below)
was
how
Danish
membership
in
the
EC
would
affect
Danish
participation
in
Nordic
cooperation.
The
anti-marketeers
argued
that
membership
in
the
EC
would
prevent
Danish
participation
in
further
development
of
Nordic
cooperation;
Den-
mark
had
to
choose
between
two
alterna-
tives :
the
North
or
the
EC.
The
pro-
marketeers
for
their
part
argued
that
it
would
be
an
advantage
not
only
to
Den-
mark,
but
to
all
the
Nordic
countries
that
at
least
one
Nordic
country
was
member
of
the
EC.
A
link
between
the
Nordic
system
and
the
EC
system
would
in
itself
be
of
value.
It
was
in
this
connection
that
the
bridge-idea
arose.
Even
though
a
great
majority
of
the
electorate
voted
for
Danish
membership
in
the 2
October
referendum,
the
bridge-
idea
did
not
die -
on
the
contrary.
At
least
two
reasons
for
this
can
be
suggested.
First,
Nordic
cooperation
is
in
itself
a
goal
of
high
priority -
although
not
always
specified -
in
the
Danish
political
debate.
There
is
so
to
speak
consensus
in
Danish
politics
about
the
value
of
Nordic
co-
operation.
Second,
there
are
in
Denmark
significant
reservations
concerning
more
extensive
EC
cooperation.
It
is
emphasized
that
Denmark
has
joined
the
Rome-treaty
-
but
not
more.
These
two
reasons
are
linked.
The
interest
assigned
the
priority
of
Nordic
cooperation
can
be
seen
as
an
effort
to
minimize
the
obligations
of
EC
member-
ship,
an
effort
of
decisive
importance
for
several
political
parties
as
indicated
in
Table
1
below.’
To continue reading
Request your trial