In 1999 the EU decided to develop its own military capacities for crisis management. This book brings together a group of experts to examine the consequences of this decision on Nordic policy establishments, as well as to shed new light on the defence and security issues that matter for Europe as a whole.

This book critically analyses the changing EU-Russian security environment in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, with a particular focus on northern Europe where the EU and the Russian Federation share a common border. Russian involvement in conflict situations in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood has drastically impacted the European security environment, leading to a resurgence of competitive great power relations. The book uses the EU-Russia interface at the borders of Finland and the European North as a prism through which interwoven external and internal security challenges can be explored. Security is considered in the broadest sense of the term, as the authors consider how the security environment is reflected politically, socially and culturally within European societies. The book analyses changing political language and concepts, institutional preparedness, border governance, human security, migration and wider challenges to societal resilience. Ultimately, the book investigates into Finland’s preparedness to address new global security challenges and to find solutions to them on an everyday level. This book will be an important guide for researchers and upper-level students of security, border studies, Russian and European studies, as well as to policy makers looking to develop a wider, contextualized understanding of the challenges to stability and security in different parts of Europe.

This volume analyzes the Nordic and Baltic states' relationship with the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Clive Archer presents a general background to the European Union's ESDP, the strategic situation of Northern Europe, the main security and defence policy issues faced by the states there, as well as outlining the main theoretical considerations concerning security in the region. Key chapters cover the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and the four Nordic states of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The selected contributors provide an analysis of the region as seen from Brussels and of the practical and theoretical issues arising from the study. This new text tackles an aspect of the ESDP that has previously received little attention, and reinvigorates old ground, blending together analytical, theoretical and policy-relevant approaches. New Security Issues in Northern Europe will be a welcome addition to all those with an interest in security studies, European politics and international relations.