The Nordic Input on the EU's Cooperation in Family and Succession Law : Exporting Union Law Through 'Nordic Exceptions'

This contribution evaluates the Nordic (primarly Swedish and Finnish) impact on the Europen Union's civil law cooperation within family law and the law of inheritance, starting from mid 1990s when Sweden and Sweden joined the European Union. Both countries have strived to have progressive, pragmatic EU-regulations, and have succeeded to some extent. In addition, they have strived to maintain a certain level of legal coherence in relation to special conventions previously adopted between the five Nordic states (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). As a result, in the manner explained in the contribution, amendments of the Nordic Conventions reflect those of the new EU regulations. All of the hitherto adopted EU-regulations include special provisions in relation to the Nordic Conventions (so-called "Nordic exceptions")