Differentiation in European Security and Defence: The Case of Nordic Security and Defence Cooperation

The Nordic countries are undoubtedly similar in a variety of ways, however, the states’ relationship with NATO and the European Union’s (EU) security and defence arrangements represents a complicated and mixed bag. Sweden and Finland do not have full memberships to NATO and Norway is not a formally a member of the EU, but can participate in Common Security and Defence Policy activities (CSDP) and in the European Defence Agency (EDA). The strengthening of Nordic defence cooperation therefore raises important questions for Nordic cooperation and participation in the EU and NATO. Against this background the paper seeks to understand why the Nordic states have intensified security and defence cooperation through NORDEFCO (Nordic Defence Cooperation) and to understand the role of regional security and defence cooperation alongside the EU and NATO . Parallel to this, the paper considers the extent to which we are witnessing diminishing multilateral cooperation in European security defence cooperation and the implications this has for NATO and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).