| During the Cold War period, the security policies of the Nordic states were referred to as the 'Nordic balance'?a combination of policies aimed at preserving a balance between the two superpowers.While the end of the Cold War paved the way for a different and more complex security approach, it took some time before the Nordic states responded to this new security context. The article argues that, rather than adapting to the changing conditions created by the end of the Cold War, the Nordic states changed their security approaches in response to the European integration process. It attempts to show how different phases in the post- Cold War European integration process have influenced the national security approaches of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. While all four security approaches have been Europeanized, the speed and the character of these changes seem to vary due to a combination of differing ties to the European Union and differing security policy traditions |