Finland: In Search of an Effective and Equitable European Union
Finland joined the European Union with three main goals in mind: protection against military threats (Finland remains outside NATO), gaining influence within and through the EU, and economic opportunities via a full-fledged participation in the Single Market.
The past eight years have blurred the nature of EU integration in Finland. The compounding of the Eurozone crisis and constant rambling between Member States on the one hand, and the great leap forward into integration on the other hand, has cast a shadow over the future of the EU.
In order to restore legitimacy to the EU project in Finland, the European Union should focus on solving the economic crisis – especially as the Finns feel the EU is equipped to deal with it. Relatedly, it should better enforce common rules, which Finland strives to respect. It may want to work on how to engage citizens further, but this is only secondary in the short term.
This publication is part of the "Building Bridges Paper Series". For more information about this project, click here.
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Finland: In Search of an Effective and Equitable European Union
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