Does it seem a bit upside down? It could become a reality.

Days ago, Region Skåne (Skåne Regional Council) took the first step in re-drawing the map, by removing the border and creating a larger region with Kronobergs län (Kronoberg County) .

“This sort of region can strengthen the possibilities in developing the infra structure, it can also lead to more work and so on. Seen from a European and global perspective, Skåne isn’t that big,” says Pia Kinhult, a politician from the Moderate Party and chairwoman of the Region Skåne. The Kronoberg County Council and Regionförbundet Södra Småland (Regional Council of Southern Småland) have for a while shown interest in uniting with Region Skåne, which has just said “yes” to the proposal. The plan is to create a regional union no later than 2019 – however all parties aren’t that ecstatic.

“We want to continue being ‘skåningar’,” says Lennart Pettersson, chairman of the Center Party in Skåne. “Skåne is a strong brand name and if we let it go we will lose a lot. Add to that the fact that the distance between Växjö and Malmö is fairly long.”

Jan-Öjvind Swahn, Professor Emeritus at the Dept. of Ethnology at Lund University, is also critical: “It’s a very foolish idea; the most foolish idea I’ve heard in a long time. The cultural differences are huge and there’s an old antagonism between Skåne and Småland, which lives on to this day,” Swahn says.

For more info on Skåne, see SKÅNE
For more info on Småland, see SMÅLAND