The Russian minorities in the Baltic states

Abstract

Social and economic prohibition continues to be an everyday problem to many members of the ethnic minorities living in Europe. Fundamental distinctions within ethnic minorities and the majority population, as interpreted by their cultural and ethnic circumstances, often correspond with imbalances in their social and cultural rights (Kahanec, Zaiceva and Zimmermann, 2010). For the purpose of this dissertation, I will be referring to ethnic conflicts in the Baltic States as a main point of study. At a time when Western Europe was moving towards political and economic integration, Eastern European countries were very much moving in the opposite direction. The Soviet regims failed to acknowledge the antipathy of the Soviet rule within Russophones living in their integral republics. The political result of glasnost, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev has generated demands for the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the Baltic States (Geron, 1991). Indeed, the Baltic States of “Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania” had reinstated their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, which led the three states to establish their constitutional reforms. In the meantime, after acquiring independence, the Baltic States went through difficult legal, economic and political transitions. As a matter of fact, in connection to the desire of political independence, was the wish for a speedy transition from a “planned to a free-market economy” and a “democracy-based system of government” (Kjærgaard and Kjærgaard Larsen, 2001). In general, the move towards independence in the post-Soviet scenario was positive, however, as portrayed in this research, Estonia and Latvia still face some challenges by political leaders in providing protection to their Russian minorities. The EU, particularly through the institutions of the CoE and the OSCE plays a significant role in providing minority protection and attempting to resolve ethnic conflicts within minority-majority in the Baltic States. Indeed, as future European Member States, their governments paid particular attention towards EU directives to be applied into national legislation, so as a result, minority protection continues to play a significant role within this process (Johnson, 2006). As enclosed by empirical research, this thesis will specifically look at how EU membership affected the minority issue in the Baltic States, and see whether EU conditionality continued to impact the adaptation of the Russophones after acceding the EU. Hence, the main aim of this dissertation is to look at the minority issue in the newly sovereign Baltic States and see whether policies implemented by the EU at national level resolved the ethnic conflicts of the Russian minorities in “Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania”.