Nearly half of Swedes and Danes said they’d rather be in a ‘Nordic Union’ with their neighbors from Norway, Finland and Iceland than in the EU, a fresh poll revealed.
Research conducted by pollster Sentio for Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen showed 47 percent support the hypothetical Nordic Union in Sweden and 45 percent in Denmark.
32 percent of Swedes and 36 percent of Danes were happy to remain in the European Union, while the rest said they were undecided on the issue.
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As for non-EU member Norway, only 10 percent suggested that it would be a good idea for the country to join the European Union. The concept of the so-called ‘Nordic Union,’ which would see Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland implementing joint policies, was backed by 32 percent of Norwegians.
The poll was conducted in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with around 1,000 people surveyed in each of the countries. The researchers didn’t ask those in Finland and Iceland for their opinion.
The respondents weren’t asked in the survey to explain the reasons behind their low level of trust in the EU.
With the bloc going through a massive migrant crisis since 2015, Sweden and Denmark were forced to accommodate thousands of people fleeing unrest in North Africa and the Middle East.
In Sweden, the right-wing Sweden Democrats, who promote an anti-migrant agenda, have been recently polling at a record 20 percent and are seen as among the favorites in the September 9 election. The country has received 400,000 asylum requests since 2012, with migrants believed by many to be contributing to the rise in crime and social tension.
The authorities in Denmark have taken a tough stance on migrants, admitting that integration policies have failed in the country. They announced plans to teach “Danish values” to children in ghettos and introduced a ban on burqa female full body veils, with huge fines for repeat offenders.
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