Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1938, Page 287

SOME ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN THE NORTH 277
the whole North, it would mean a great increase in strength. Each
of these countries would only derive benefit from their mutual
trade growing and becoming more varied.
Mutual trade between the Northern countries is not to be
despised at present. On the contrary, the statistics concerning
it show that the mutual imports from the four countries and
their exports to each other amount to about 650 million crowns
a year in both respects. This trade does not quite balance be-
tween the different countries, some exporting more than they
buy. It would, of course, be desirable to maintain a balance in
this sphere, but it could scarcely be demanded. But at any rate it
is most important to develop the inter-trade between these coun-
tries. Then we could help each other to an appreciable extent
abroad.
There is one difficulty in this, however, which has proved
a stumbling block to the endeavours to stimulate inter-Scandi-
navian trade. The existing trade agreements usually contain the
so-called most-favoured-nation clause. If, therefore, the Nor-
thern countries wished to grant each other lower customs or
other preferences and privileges, the consequence would be that
all other countries with most-favoured-nation clauses would auto-
matically gain advantage from them. This drawback could only
be eliminated by introducing a “Northern countries clause”, of
which there has been much talk among those concerned. It is a
known fact that the three really “Scandinavian” countries have
a “Scandinavian clause” in the trade agreements concluded be-
tween these states, according to which the preferential treatment
mutually granted by them to each other is not extended auto-
matically to other countries.
It would be very important, if the Northern countries
were able to grant each other privileges for exporting certain
commodities without such privileges necessarily being granted to
others. This view has repeatedly been expressed by the Delega-
tions for economic co-operation between the Northern countries
and its realisation would obviously present advantages to each
of the Northern countries.
In considering measures for overcoming these obstacles the
idea of establishment of a customs union between the Northern
countries has occurred to many people. The realisation of this
idea would, indeed, overcome the difficulty presented by
the most-favoured-nation principle which I have referred to,
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