Unravelling the Baltic Sea Conundrum

In the course of the 1990s, a variety of regional initiatives and associations emerged in the Baltic Sea Region. As a result, the region features an extremely high concentration of regionalist structures, which add up to a tight network of cooperative arrangements that all label themselves as 'Baltic.' This dissertation looks closely at this specific regional phenomenon - the 'Baltic Sea Conundrum' - by employing a comparative approach. Looking at the cases of Sweden and Finland - their political performance as both regional stakeholders and members of the EU - the book shows how, in recent years, regional agendas have intersected with European issues and vice versa.