Positioning the Nordic Countries in European Union Environmental Policy

Abstract

The influence of the Nordic countries on the European Union’s (EU's) policy processes has been researched from various angles, but there is a lack of research that comprehensively examines all policy positions advanced by Nordic actors within a given policy context. This article introduces a new design for studying policy positions and influence in the EU and examines the phenomenon from a multilevel perspective using an original data set compiled in connection to three directives: the Floods Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks, the Environmental Liability Directive, and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive. The analysis reveals that the Nordic countries follow a certain pattern of influencing EU policy that deviates from other states participating in the consultations. Nordic governmental actors exert a strong technical but weak directional influence in the chosen context but are, overall, more successful than Nordic organizational actors at influencing the policy process.

New environmental policy of the European Union: some aspects of transition to green energy

“…In the process of implementing the EU Green Deal, the expected changes may not always follow a smooth, predictable trajectory. For example, this can be observed especially in the positioning of the Nordic countries in the EU environmental policy [32]. In this regard, the likelihood of many related problems that have influenced the green energy course adjustment is high.…”

How Different Are the Nordics? Unravelling the Willingness to Make Economic Sacrifices for the Environment

“…Additive index from 6 items on how often (Never = 0 to Always = 3) respondents for environmental reasons: sort glass or tins or plastic or newspapers and so on for recycling (1) buy fruit and vegetables grown without pesticides or chemicals (2) cut back on driving a car (3) reduce the energy or fuel you use at home (4) choose to save or re-use water (5) avoid buying certain products (6) 0 to 18…”

“…Situated within the socio-economic and geographic context of their fellow Western European countries, European Union (EU) states, and third countries (In EU documents, all countries that are not European Union and European Free Trade Area (EFTA) states are called 'third countries'. In this context, EU and EFTA states are categorized for the analysis at the time when the International Social Survey Program Environment III survey was fielded in the respective country) [4][5][6][7], the peoples of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) are often lauded as having high levels of proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors, willingness and interconnectedness with each other [8][9][10]. The Nordic countries also consistently place among the highest in international sustainability indices and rankings [11][12][13][14] such as the Environmental Protection Index, Sustainable Governance Indicators, and the Sustainable Society Index [15][16][17].…”

“…We currently note only a few studies [8,22], which show the significant relationships and patterns within Environment survey variables, such as those from the ISSP, through an aggregated level of analysis. The Nordic countries have a unique influencing effect on the EU and its environmental policy [4,6]. They are highly regarded for their progressive national policies, technological initiatives (i.e., bioenergy, green technology, forest utilization), support for multilateral international agreements [3,7], well-rounded performance in fulfilling sustainable development goals [23] and potential in demonstrating the potential of low-carbon energy policies [2].…”