“North European Countries” an anchor geopolitical stability for the old continent

As the European political scene is sharply fluctuating in light of the escalation of populism, a group of eight small countries is located in the north of the old continent, increasingly as a geopolitical stability anchor. This group (which includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and the three Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are known as “European North Countries”.

Although it is considered relatively small countries in terms of population and domestic product, and it may not have any influence in international security and politics, its bloc allowed them to constitute an effective pressure force on the European and Western decision, especially with regard to the Ukrainian file and the security of Eastern Europe, where the influence of those countries has increased since the Russian war on Ukraine in 2022, offering a unique model that combines democracy and integration Defense and societal flexibility.

This bloc was established in 1992, after the end of the Cold War, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the rich and stable European countries and its neighbors in the Baltic region, which was subject to Soviet influence for decades.

This cooperation took an institutional nature through periodic meetings of the heads of government, ministers and senior officials, which contributed to building a firm political, security and cultural coordination base.

Geopolitical tensions

The influence of the “eight European countries” escalated with the increasing geopolitical tensions between the great powers, especially in the areas of the Baltic Sea, the Northern Atlantic, and the Northern Pole.

Explaining it because of the decline in Denmark’s position as one of the “economical” countries opposing the European Union’s spending, the current president of the Danish Prime Minister of the Group of the eight Scandinavian countries, Mattah Frederksen, said that “the world is changing quickly, but the most important thing is to rearmaize Europe with the aim of reaching a state of the possibility of defending itself.”

Denmark is also scheduled to take over the periodic presidency of the European Union Council as of next July, giving the European North the greater presence.

Kyiv support

While national populist politicians are gaining ground in Central Europe and other places, amid the decline in Western support for Ukraine, “North European countries and the Baltic Sea remain a stronghold to support Kiev, and for European defense efforts, and NATO” NATO “, even as their policies on immigration under pressure from populists.

The “eight -European countries” group participated, from the beginning, in the French -British “Alliance”, which was the support of Ukraine militarily and politically, when the US President, Donald Trump, commented aid to Kev in an attempt to force his Ukrainian counterpart, Voludmir Zellinski, to conclude a peace agreement on Russian terms that Zilinski considered unfair and rejected for him and his government.

As Friedrixen says, these eight countries believe that the independence of Ukraine and the defeat of Moscow is in its vital interest, given its geographical proximity to Russia.

“Comprehensive Defense”

NATO and the European Union are largely dependent on the “Comprehensive Defense” guide adopted by Finland and Sweden to involve the public and private sectors and civil society in military preparation, defending the country, civil alertness, and economic flexibility in the face of the Russian and Chinese hybrid war tactics.

For example, Finland, with a population of 5.6 million people, is about 24,000 ladder, but it is able to mobilize an army of more than 180,000 soldiers quickly, in addition to that it has a number of reserve soldiers with a number of 870,000 trained soldiers thanks to the recruitment system and regular reserve service.

Corporate and business leaders are mostly reserve officers, who are undergoing security training regularly, and they have legal obligations to maintain stocks, share logistics services, and provide backup production capacity for crisis times.

After Finland fought two wars with the Soviet Union alone in the 1940s, it now maintains a series of well -equipped shelters to be sufficient to accommodate all its residents when necessary.

advice

And Sweden sent, last year, an updated version of the “Comprehensive Defense” guide to five million families, providing advice to citizens on how to act “in the case of crises and war”, including storing non -damaged foodstuffs, in addition to having a “radio” and a battery lamp, along with a set of first aid tools, and other necessities that can be used in war time.

The European Commission has finally recommended all member states to take similar measures to prepare its residents for possible emergencies.

Members of the “eight countries” group hold their meetings regularly before the “NATO” and European Union meetings – even though Norway and Iceland are not members of the European Union – where they coordinate their diplomacy around the world.

Stable systems

The “Northern European countries and the Baltic countries have stable democratic systems and closeness of thought and values, with a wide consensus on the support of defense and deterrence against Russia, which will make these countries reliable partners of the German advisor, Ferdrich Mertz, at a time when Poland faces a state of political instability, while France lacks the parliamentary majority and suffers from accumulated debt, Italy is reluctant to intensify its efforts Defense.

The “eight countries” linked their armies to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands through the common exploration force, while preserving high -end and trained forces to the rapid response to crises.

These countries work with “NATO” to protect “cables” and vibrant underwater pipelines from sabotage that can be exposed to by any country, which can be considered unbroken.

A number of “European Northern Countries” went further for the defensive integration. For example, the Air Force for four countries formed an air faction within the “NATO”, focusing on the application of the concept of the northern air force that enables the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish forces to work as a single force in large -scale and highly prepared athletes.

For its part, the Baltic countries adopt a joint defensive line on their eastern borders, similar to Ukraine’s front defenses, as well as a “Estonian concept” of the so -called “Baltic wall of drones”, using artificial intelligence and sensors to monitor borders and protect from drones. On the “Guardian”

---

Limited effect

Even if the group of “eight European countries” exceeds its borders, it will have a limited impact, as small open economies depend on free trade and a stable global environment for prosperity within the European Union, and this group struggled, without success, to prevent the European Commission from alleviating its bases related to reducing government aid to allow more French and German support for the industry.

On a wider scale, a world in which customs duties are formed, inaction of climate work, and a distance from liberalism, and areas of influence of major powers, representing unclear horizons for the North European countries and the Baltic countries.

• Although the “northern European countries” are small in terms of population and domestic product, they constitute an effective pressure force on the European decision in relation to the Ukrainian file.