For a long period of time the Nordic countries saw themselves or were viewed upon as something different from Europe. The Nordic institutions and the long tradition of Nordic co-operation in different forms could also be seen as a hallmark of the joint actions of “non-European Nordic countries”. In a historic perspective, the states have experienced war between and domination of each other. However, since almost 200 years the Nordic countries have been a peaceful area in that respect, in spite of great political-institutional changes. There is a shared cultural heritage and also some political-institutional similarities
