The Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) has had a special policy for its neighbouring areas – primarily for the Baltic states and subsequently for Northwest Russia – since 1991. These policies, formally called policies for the Adjacent Areas, receive a very positive general evaluation from their beneficiaries, not least for their symbolic value, which has clearly surpassed their rather modest financial value. Among the few critical voices, one can, however, hear the opinion that a clearer strategy might have made the policies even more efficient. With hindsight, it has been said that more emphasis could have been placed on developing the administrative and judicial systems. For a proper assessment, one needs to know how, and why, the policies were conceived, and what might have been seen as the goals.