In this chapter, we provide insights into the platformisation of media content by examining how news professionals communicate about European issues on major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) across ten European countries and how the public engages in discussions about these issues on these platforms. The results provide essential information about the digital public sphere with respect to the most relevant European issues (health, the climate, and the economy, according to the Eurobarometer), published by both professional news producers and non-professional actors over three months (September–November 2021). However, the results only reveal a few references to the dimensions of Europeanisation in social media posts, as institutions, law, and governance are the most frequently mentioned dimensions in the analysis, demonstrating that Europe is primarily associated with the establishment. By contrast, no trends of Europeanisation from below were found. We discuss these findings with respect to the potential impact of platforms on public sphere failures.

In this chapter, we focus on the latest EU high-level reports that aim to address the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in promoting European competitiveness and upholding European values. Published before the current European Commission’s appointment, the reports offer substantial guidelines for the upcoming EU policies. We concentrate on the Draghi report and discuss the Letta and Niinistö reports, all of which develop the political plans of the President of the European Commission presented in July 2024. The chapter provides a critical assessessment of their assumptions and solutions, and we develop three main arguments. One, the reports endorse techno-solutionism, portraying AI as the latest driver for growth and competitiveness; however, this clashes with the EU’s aim to strengthen European values. Two, they focus on the EU, the US, and China, ignoring the broader global context. Three, they portray the EU as a single entity, disregarding the internal dynamics and what the proposed strategies will mean for smaller member states.

In seeking a leading position in the artificial intelligence (AI) space through EU legislation aimed at securing innovation and market leadership and fundamental human rights, the European Commission’s ambition is to ensure that AI systems benefit all. In this chapter, I critically assess this ambition by historicising efforts to govern digital technologies and examining the characteristics of the contemporary “AI industry” and the discourses of selected governing texts. I argue that the prevailing imaginary of a technologically mediated future that frames governance in this space clashes with governing in the name of justice and the protection of human rights. Current governance initiatives are likely to restrain some excesses of a capitalist-inspired “AI industry”. If the prevailing imaginary of progress is not dislodged by resistance strategies, however, neither corporate-led technology innovation nor state-led governance measures are likely to yield a future consistent with their claimed support for human rights and greater equality.

In this chapter, I introduce the reasons for and the challenges of creating a framework regulation for digital service providers in the EU. I analyse the rules passed in 2022–2024, including the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act, the Code of Practice on Disinformation, and the European Media Freedom Act’s rules on the relationship between digital platforms and media. I point out that this complex set of rules is aimed at creating and fostering a diverse information environment rather than directly regulating content. Instead of curtailing the privileges of the platforms, the law furnishes them with more responsibility and the expectation to exert due diligence to preserve the values of democracy and fundamental rights.

The book’s message is brief: Liberal democracies are at risk. Democratic decay has numerous causes, but technological innovations and profit-driven dynamics are shaping societal relations in ways that intensify disagreements and polarisation, undermining informed citizenship.

The growing number of uncertainties associated with the new communications order, further enhanced by the rise of information warfare waged by both radical domestic actors and geopolitical powers in recent years, has become a reason for concern in liberal democracies, yet academic analyses of and policy responses to the challenges of the new media landscape are lagging behind technological transformation. Policymakers seeking regulatory answers need to weigh and balance a range of considerations, including democratic standards such as media freedom and pluralism, sustainable financing strategies for media businesses, economic productivity, ecological implications, and security concerns. The harmonisation of the different interests at stake takes time, while inaction feeds public distrust in democratic institutions and processes.

This volume shows that the quality of digital media performance remains central to democratic life and to responsibilities that citizens and institutions have toward one another. The authors call for policy decisions to be taken on both the national and the supranational levels. Regulatory institutions must be granted the necessary legal tools and financial resources to protect accurate information and to fight disinformation, as only informed and critical-minded citizens can defend democracies. The risks are too real to be devalued. Awareness and action are needed.

In this chapter, we propose a theoretical perspective on the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for local news media systems in Europe. As the technical protocols shaping web platformisation evolve into communication infrastructures in their own right, we ask: What dependencies does AI create for local news production? Drawing on previous literature, we contextualise AI adoption within local journalism as an ecosystem in which key civic and democratic infrastructures are subject to various forms of capture, specifically technological capture. Our primarily conceptual findings highlight the ecosystemic impact of AI on the political economy of local news structures in Europe. We conclude that the dominance of US-driven AI developments puts local European news media at risk of technological capture as they increasingly outsource production, management, dissemination, and audience relations to capitalise on AI, posing new challenges for regulators seeking to protect the autonomy of European news media.

This chapter examines the complex nature of platform power in the digital age and covers over 80 journal articles published between 2017 and 2025. Drawing from political economy literature and Bourdieu’s concepts of field and capital, we identify ten distinct forms of platform power: capital, political, control, data, infrastructure, hegemony, exploitation, commercialisation, corporate, and monopoly. We explore how super platforms acquire, exercise, and expand their influence, and show how Big Tech corporations undermine state sovereignty and fight regulatory efforts. Our findings highlight the immense economic and political leverage of these platforms and their ability to shape the global order. We argue that an integrated perspective is essential to comprehend the static and dynamic architecture of platform power in its complexity.

The report focuses on psychosocial risks, protective factors, and service gaps during the first 1000 days of a child's life and may inform the implementation of effective, evidence-based practices. The research evidence is synthesised by mapping effective psychosocial interventions and integrating Nordic expertise within the Maternal well-being framework (WHO). The findings show that psychosocial challenges are complex and cumulative, with parental mental health playing a central role in family wellbeing and child development from before birth. Effective interventions exist, but they do not reach all families or all family members equally, nor do they adequately address all needs and protective factors, particularly among minority families and those facing multiple risks. The findings signal the need for clearer care pathways and Nordic collaboration to address these gaps.

From 2030, plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables under 1.5 kg will be banned in the EU, with exemptions where needed. This report is intended as a discussion starter on the targeted use of plastic packaging.

 Packaging serves key functions: protecting against damage, slowing down quality loss, and enabling logistics and consumer information. But its necessity is highly product-specific. Without packaging, some produce become more vulnerable to bruising, water loss and spoilage − especially soft fruits, leafy greens and herbs − while others cope well without it. For sensitive products, packaging, plastic or other material, may contribute to extended shelf life, particularly when combined with appropriate storage conditions, including temperature control. Packaging does not eliminate microbiological risks, but can indirectly support food safety by reducing handling and damage.

The inspiration catalogue is prepared by the Nordic Sustainable Construction in relation to the Circularity Work Package focusing on floor area optimisation, lifetime extension and transformation.

 It provides examples on policy measures across the Nordic region that are introduced or can be used to improve the use of existing buildings rather than demolishing and building new.

 Building on the hierarchy of resource-efficient construction guiding whether to utilise, maintain, renovate and transform, extend lifetime or build new, the catalogue suggests five action to guide policymakers and authorities to enhance sustainability, adaptability and efficiency when working with existing buildings.

 The examples show that renovation, reuse and adaptation are viable and scalable alternatives to demolition and new construction and leads a more resource efficient and climate-conscious sector.

Mediebarometern är en årlig undersökning av den svenska befolkningens tillgång till, och användning av, olika typer av medier. Undersökningen har genomförts sedan 1979 och det gör Mediebarometern till den äldsta oavbrutna studien i sitt slag i världen. Resultaten i 2025 års undersökning bygger på svar från omkring 6 000 slumpmässigt utvalda personer i åldern 9 till 85 år. 

2025 var ett år präglat av omfattande globala utmaningar och stora händelser såväl internationellt som i Sverige. Den fortsatta konflikten Israel – Palestina stod i fokus för det internationella nyhetsflödet under stora delar av året. Samtidigt fortsatte kriget i Ukraina, som under 2025 gick in på sitt fjärde år sedan Rysslands fullskaliga invasion. I Sveriges dominerades nyhetsflödet i början av året av masskjutningen på Risbergska skolan i Örebro. En annan stor nationell händelse som präglade året 2025 var konkursen för batterijätten Northvolt. 2025 var dessutom året Donald Trump tillträdde sin andra mandatperiod i Vita huset, som bland annat inleddes med att USA:s biståndsmyndighet USAID stängdes ned. 

Allt detta påverkade den svenska befolkningens medieanvändning – för information och nyheter, men också för förströelse. Den här rapporten visar att den samlade mediekonsumtionen i Sverige under 2025 minskade sett till vissa medier, medan andra låg kvar på samma höga nivåer som noterats under senare år. 

Mediebarometern genomförs av Nordicom vid Göteborgs universitet i samverkan med Bonnier News, Göteborgs-Posten, Mediemyndigheten, Sveriges Radio och Sveriges Television. Datainsamlingen till Mediebarometern 2025 har genomförts av undersökningsföretaget Indikator – Institutet för kvalitetsindikatorer.

The report examines how the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) affects Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, focusing on competitiveness and the green transition. CBAM aims to prevent carbon leakage by aligning import carbon costs with the EU ETS. Nordic industries benefit from low emission intensity but still face structural cost challenges. Including indirect emissions could improve fairness but add complexity. Overall economic impacts are modest, though sectoral effects vary. CBAM is expected to shift trade toward cleaner production and support green industrial development. National implementation differs across the three countries. Key recommendations include preparing for indirect emissions, influencing EU rules, expanding CBAM to new sectors, streamlining administration, and improving emissions data systems.

This edition examines how randomised experiments can be used to inform economic policy in the Nordic countries. Drawing on experiences from large‑scale trials in areas such as taxation, labour markets, education, and social policy, the articles focus not only on what experiments reveal, but on how they are designed, authorised, and implemented in practice. The volume discusses concrete challenges faced by policymakers, researchers, and public authorities, including legal and ethical constraints, institutional cooperation, take‑up, data access, and spillover effects, and shows how these can be addressed in real‑world settings. Together, the articles offer practical guidance on how experimentation can be integrated into policy design to support more robust, evidence‑informed economic policymaking in the Nordic region.

Maintaining an arm’s length relationship between politics and journalism is a foundational principle in all Nordic countries. Despite this shared commitment, each country has developed its own distinct model for supporting news media and safeguarding the arm’s length principle. No two systems are alike.

This comparative report explores how the arm’s length principle is translated into practice in the news media subsidy legislation in force at the beginning of 2026.

The report is written by Tobias Lindberg, researcher at Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg.

European electricity markets are becoming increasingly interconnected. Even when reforms are implemented outside the Nordic region, they can influence Nordic electricity prices and market outcomes through cross-border trade. This report explores how selected European market design reforms may affect Nordic electricity markets towards 2035. The analysis examines developments such as capacity mechanisms, the expansion of solar power and wind power, battery deployment, and new trade measures. Using detailed power market modelling, the study assesses how these changes could influence electricity prices, price volatility, trade flows and welfare in the Nordic countries. The results show that policy and market developments in neighbouring countries can have significant spillover effects, highlighting the importance of cross-border coordination in Europe’s energy transition.

This report shifts the focus from corridor-based thinking to scalable networks built on reusable transport legs.

The key insight of this report is that scalable multimodal freight systems are built around qualified transport legs – recurring service connections between logistics nodes such as ferry routes, rail segments, or road links. Nordic sustainable transport networks emerge when such qualified legs are reused across multiple freight flows.

Scaling requires shared performance governance, based on transparentand comparable KPIs across cost, delivery time, and emissions.

The report introduces a scenario-based method for comparing alternative network configurations. Digital collaboration strengthens coordination across multimodal logistics systems and supports credible emissions accounting (Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, 2025).The Virtual Watch Tower is highlighted as an example of public-good digital infrastructure supporting end-to-end collaborative decision making, disruption management, and leg-level emissions transparency.

Finally, the report emphasizes that sustainable transport networks cannot scale within the transport system alone. Decarbonization requires coordinated transformation across interconnected value chains, including sustainable fuel supply, logistics operations, and carrier asset transitions (Petersen and Renken, 2023). Parallel Nordic initiatives such as the Nordic Roadmap for the Introduction of Sustainable Zero-Carbon Fuels in Shipping focus on green shipping corridors and the associated maritime energy ecosystem across the corridor value chain. The present report complements this work by introducing a shipper-driven logistics perspective focused on how transport buyers adopt and scale sustainable freight solutions across multimodal logistics networks.

The Nordic opportunity therefore lies in prioritizing high-impact transport legs, equipping shared nodes with interoperable digital collaboration mechanisms, applying shared KPI frameworks, and aligning transport networks with sustainable energy ecosystems. In this way, existing green corridor initiatives can be extended into scalable multimodal Nordic freight systems.

The analysis shows a substantial reliance on imported intermediate goods and raw materials for the Nordic economies, with supply chains deeply anchored within Europe, supplemented by robust intra-Nordic trade. However, this reliance introduces vulnerabilities, defined by high sourcing concentration, extra-European origin, and limited domestic substitution capacity. Significant disparities exist, with Norway and Denmark showing the highest exposure to vulnerable inputs, while Sweden and Iceland demonstrate greater resilience. Crucially, the sources of the most vulnerable inputs dominated by the US for Denmark and Sweden, and China for Finland and Iceland. Large firms are the central actors in each Nordic country, importing the majority of intermediate goods, but also of vulnerable goods.