The paper will be divided in two main parts: The first part is about the structures and the functions of the EU institutions. This presentation will be focused on three institutions of the EU: The European Commission, The Council of the European Union and The European Parliament, due to the fact that this “institutional triangle” produces the policies and laws that apply throughout the EU. Any of these institutions will be introduced in an own subchapter by explaining their composition, procedures and functions. [...] Important to mention is that the “Council of the European Union” should not to be confused with the “Council of Europe”, an organisation separate from the EU with a wider membership, or with the “European Council”, the meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU together with members of the Commission (Archer 2000:44). In the following the terms “Council” and “Council of Ministers” are only used as synonyms for “The Council of the European Union”. The presentation of the institutions of the EU will be followed by an overview about the EU accession procedures of the three Baltic States. This chapter will be introduced by a short description of the official regulations to become a member of the EU, more precisely a description of “the eight stages to EU”.
These mentioned backgrounds are essential for the following second part of the paper, the empirical analyse of the attitudes of the Baltic population to the European Union. It is mainly based on aggregate data of several editions of the Eurobarometer, which will be introduced in an own section. Other, also on aggregate data based surveys, are used, if they show significant different results or if they contain some interesting aspects they are not mentioned in the Eurobarometer. It is important to mention that the using of such aggregate data does not allow autonomous calculations of correlations between age groups, levels of education and the opinion to European Union for example. To use correlations like these for the argumentation we are relied on mentioned ones in the available reports. Subsequently the attitudes to different questions asked in these surveys will be analysed by looking at first separately to the results of every country. Afterwards the results of the Baltic States will be compared with those ones from other New Member States on the one hand and with results from the “Old Member States” on the other hand.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
2.1. THE HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
2.2. THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
2.2.1 The Commission of the European Union
2.2.2. The Council of the European Union
2.2.3. The European Parliament
3. THE EU ACCESSION PROCEDURE
3.1. REQUIREMENTS AND STAGES FOR EU ACCESSION
3.2 ACCESSION PROCESS OF THE THREE BALTIC STATES
4. ATTITUDES OF THE BALTIC PEOPLE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
4.1. THE EUROBAROMETER
4.2 COUNTRY REPORTS ABOUT THE PUBLIC OPINION TO EU IN BALTIC STATES
4.2.1. The public opinion about EU in Estonia
4.2.2. The public opinion about EU in Latvia
4.2.3. The public opinion about EU in Lithuania
4.3. THE PUBLIC OPINION IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER NEW MEMBER STATES
4.4. THE PUBLIC OPINION IN COMPARISON WITH “OLD MEMBER STATES”
5. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Themes
This seminar paper investigates the development and current state of public opinion regarding European Union membership in the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The central research question explores how attitudes have shifted over time, particularly following the formal accession of these countries to the EU, and how these sentiments compare to other new and established member states.
- Historical evolution of EU institutions and the accession process.
- Comparative analysis of public opinion in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
- The influence of demographic factors, specifically the presence of large ethnic minorities, on EU support.
- Comparison of Baltic public opinion with other "New Member States" and the "Old Member States" (EU-15).
- Impact of the "day-before" effect and post-accession sentiment shifts.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2 Country reports about the public opinion to EU in Baltic States
Due to the mentioned fact that the three Baltic States hold differences in cultural affairs (Chapter 1), it can be suspected that the attitudes of the people in these countries differ from each other, because culture may have a big influence on the opinions of people, at least subconsciously. Thus it is reasonable to look at the public opinion in the Baltic States separately state by state. In every of these three countries there will be at first a analysis of the public opinion to EU in general and afterwards one about the other interesting aspect in relation to the public opinion to the European Union: The trust in the European institutions, namely the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. All these results together can be used as an indicator how far people trust the organisation and working procedures of the European Union as a whole. By interpreting the results it has to be mentioned at first that the latest data for the trust in the Council of the European Union is from the spring edition 2004. The new data about this question will be published in the full report coming up in a few weeks. But for the other two institutions there are results from the current autumn edition available. The first country we analyse is Estonia.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the enlargement of the EU to 25 members and outlines the paper's focus on the comparative study of public opinion in the Baltic States.
2. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: Provides background on the history of European integration and explains the structure and functions of the primary EU institutions.
3. THE EU ACCESSION PROCEDURE: Details the formal legal requirements and the practical stages a country must navigate to become a member of the European Union.
4. ATTITUDES OF THE BALTIC PEOPLE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: Analyzes Eurobarometer survey data to assess public sentiment in the three Baltic countries, comparing these findings with other EU member states.
5. CONCLUSION: Summarizes the key findings regarding the varying levels of support across the Baltic region and highlights the role of internal demographics on public opinion.
Keywords
Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, European Union, Public Opinion, Eurobarometer, EU Accession, New Member States, Russian Minority, Institutional Trust, European Integration, Comparative Politics, Referendum.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper examines the public opinion in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania regarding their membership in the European Union, specifically looking at how these attitudes have evolved since the pre-accession period.
Which thematic areas are central to this research?
The central themes include the structural makeup of EU institutions, the formal accession procedures, the comparative analysis of Baltic sentiment, and the correlation between demographic diversity and political support.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The primary goal is to provide a differentiated analysis of how the citizens of the three Baltic States view the EU and its institutions, explaining the notable disparities in support levels between them.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author utilizes an empirical approach based on aggregate data from various editions of the Eurobarometer survey, supplemented by comparative political analysis and existing literature.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the history and function of EU institutions, the specific accession processes for the Baltic States, and detailed country-by-country reports on public opinion, including comparisons with other new and old EU member states.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
The study is characterized by keywords such as Baltic States, Public Opinion, European Union, Eurobarometer, and EU Accession.
How does the author explain the difference in support levels between Lithuania and the other two Baltic States?
The author attributes the higher level of support in Lithuania largely to the significantly smaller size of the Russian-speaking minority compared to Latvia and Estonia, where such populations tend to show more skepticism toward EU affairs.
What is the "day-before" effect mentioned in the study?
The "day-before" effect refers to a temporary decline in support for EU membership observed shortly before the formal accession date, stemming from public concern regarding the immediate consequences of joining the Union.
- Quote paper
- Urban Kaiser (Author), 2005, The Baltic States as members of the European Union - An analysis of the public opinion to EU membership in the Baltic Region, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/38344
