Nordische Zusammenarbeit
Nordic cooperation
Following the Second World War, the Scandinavian states (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), together with Finland and Iceland, made several attempts to establish a Nordic military, political and economic union. Some political leaders actually showed that they were prepared to resume the negotiations abandoned in 1938 on the establishment of collective neutrality, with the aim of better coordinating Scandinavian policies. From July 1946, a Nordic Cultural Affairs Committee, an inter-Scandinavian Social Affairs Committee and an inter-Nordic legislation delegation, which comprised representatives of all five countries, supported cooperation between the Nordic countries in school and university education, radio, science and the social and legal fields. They also tried to coordinate their positions in the international arena. The first tangible demonstration of this common approach was seen on 1 August 1946 when Denmark, Norway and Sweden jointly set up the airline Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS).