Estonia Independence and European Integration

You must be logged in to access this title.

Sign up now

Already a member? Log in

Synopsis

In 1998, Estonia became the first of the former Soviet republics to enter membership negotiations with the European Union. Since then it has been hailed as 'the model pupil' amongst the current applicants. This study traces the remarkable reforms that have propelled Estonia from the USSR to the threshold of the EU in less than a decade. The work also explores the tensions inherent in the concept of a postcommunist 'return to Europe'. Since 1991, membership of western transnational organizations has been consistently portrayed as the best guarantee of Estonia's independence. Yet the membership criteria imposed by these organizations have frequently confllicted with the nationalist priority of restoring a sovereign Estonian nation-state. At the same time, Estonia's geopolitically-sensitive location poses a dilemma for the West, thereby ensuring that the country will remain the 'litmus test' - not just of Russia's intentions towards Europe, but of the 'New Europe' as a whole.

Book details

Series:
Postcommunist States and Nations
Author:
David Smith
ISBN:
9781136452130
Related ISBNs:
9781315014487, 9780415267281, 9780415267281
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Pages:
232
Reading age:
Not specified
Includes images:
No
Date of addition:
2020-06-08
Usage restrictions:
Copyright
Copyright date:
2001
Copyright by:
N/A 
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Categories:
Nonfiction, Politics and Government