Tapio Raunio The EU and the Welfare State are Compatible: Finnish Social Democrats and European Integration THE NORDIC REGION IS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH EUROSCEPTICISM, with Nordic people less supportive of integration than the citizens of the European Union (EU) as a whole. This Euroscepticism is usually explained by the affluence of the region that, together with the egalitarian welfare state model – based on universal benefits financed by relatively high taxation – make the Nordic people less interested in transferring policy-making powers to the European level. The political culture is also more state centred than in most Central and Southern European EU countries, with concepts such as nation state and national sovereignty highlighted in Nordic political discourse. While Finland and the other Nordic countries display relatively high levels of fiscal decentralization, with local gov- ernments delivering most of the welfare state policies (notably edu- cation and health care), the contents of these policies are decided by national-level political institutions in the framework of unitary countries. Considering the salience of the welfare state and the importance of national institutions, it is not surprising that Nordic Euroscepti- cism is more pronounced on the left, with the leftist parties experi- encing severe internal problems over both EU membership and the deepening of integration. However, interestingly, left-wing dissent over integration has been considerably weaker in Finland than in Denmark, Norway or Sweden, despite successive Finnish govern- ments displaying solid and consistent support for greater integra- tion. 1 Finland is also the only Nordic country that belongs to the 1 Tapio Raunio, ‘Softening but Persistent: Euroscepticism in the Nordic EU Coun- tries’, Acta Politica, 42: 2–3 (2007), pp. 191–210. Government and Opposition, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 187–207, 2010 doi:10.1111/j.1477-7053.2009.01310.x © The Author 2010. Journal compilation © 2010 Government and Opposition Ltd Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.