The first years of the 90s have witnessed thorough politicaland economic changes in northern Europe. The long period ofstrong political separation between east and west and theless strong economic separation between the northern andsouthern sides of the Baltic Sea seemed to be replaced byfar-reaching integration. There is no doubt that furtherintegration will have additional impacts on the regionalpatterns in northern Europe. The amplitude and compositionof these changes are difficult to project.In this volume a number of scholars in regional science andrelated disciplines (geography, economics, environmental andpolitical sciences, planning) have brought togetherimportant material on the current processes that reshapesnorthern Europe. Visions andstrategies on local, nationaland supranational levels are penetrated in depth. A "mosaic"vision of the regional development pattern emergeshighlighting the importance of cooperative and competitivestrategies affecting the local conditions of Europeanregions.