Estonian ‘Balticness’ as a social construct: meanings and contextual specifics
This paper explores the Estonian vision of Baltic identity. Estonia’s authorities have repeatedly articulated their scepticism towards the concept of a stand-alone ‘Baltic region’ and the inclusion of Estonia in it, preferring to position their state as a Nordic country. Yet, in numerous cases, they have ...
A typology of the Baltic region states according to excellence in science and technology
... strong economic ties and developed industries. A significant element of any manufacturing system is its scientific and technological subsystem, which is described in this article for ten countries (Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia), based on an analysis of a clustered set of national characteristics: R&D financing and staffing in the scientific and technological subsystem. A total of ten indicators, absolute and relative, are investigated....
Territorial structure of inbound and domestic tourism in the Baltic States
This paper examines the transformation of the territorial structure of tourism in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The spatial and temporal organisation of tourism in these countries has undergone significant changes since they became independent and joined the EU. These changes have affected the geography of tourist flows and destinations ...
Artificial Intelligence: a catalyst for entrepreneurship education in the Baltics
... shifts in technology, markets, and business models. The study concludes that proficiency in working with AI-powered equipment and algorithms is of paramount importance in amplifying the entrepreneurial potential of students in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. This aspect is increasingly gaining attention from universities, which collaborate closely with the business sector, governmental bodies, and regional agencies to provide diverse forms of support to aspiring business students. The final part ...
The peaks and troughs of Russian-Estonian relations
... contentious issues and reconcile the differences. Bilateral commissions were set up bringing together historians from Russia and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. They provided solid groundwork and prepared a series of documents and studies for publication. Estonia, however, has always been a special case: in the absence of government-supported structures, scholars from the two countries have conducted intensive research into the history of Soviet—Estonian and Russian—Estonian relations. Being far ...
Military and political cooperation between Germany and Lithuania in the late 2010s to early 2020s
... Germany’s commitment not to overlook the security concerns of Lithuania and the other Baltic republics. The choice of the date, August 23, 1994, holds additional significance. It fell before the completion of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Latvia, Estonia, and the new territories of Germany (the former German Democratic Republic) by September 1, 1994, and after the completion of the same process in Lithuania by September 1, 1993 [10, p. 71]. Official Bonn closely monitored the Kremlin’s (first ...
The Visegrad Group and the Baltic Assembly: coalitions within the EU as seen through Russian foreign policy
... comparison method to analyse the activities of the two organisations and identify their significance for the EU.
Introductory remarks
Eastern European states (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic) and the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) are amongst the closest geographical neighbours of Russia. The history of Russia’s bilateral relations with them is rich in significant events from the countries’ common past and reflects all the vicissitudes of European development. In the ...
Land Use Policy and Land Management in Estonia
... policy has led to the adoption of a new reform aimed at the municipalisation, privatisation, and denationalisation of real estate. The article describes mechanisms of the Romano-Germanic land management model, which has replaced the Soviet model in Estonia. It is shown that the model’s introduction has contributed to the development of the Republic’s land market and increased land use efficiency, in particular, in agriculture. There are positive trends towards land market development and an ...
Russian-Estonian relations: a medium-term forecast
This article shows why the non-existent political dialogue between Russia and Estonia will hardly develop in the next five years and why Estonia can lose its significance for the Russian foreign policy rhetoric and Russian mass media. This conclusion is drawn from a medium-term forecast about the changing role of Estonia in Russian ...
Discursive practices of the Russian diaspora in Estonia: language contacts
In this article, I use the concept of discursive practices to consider the speech practices of the Russian diaspora of Estonia. The findings of the study suggest the existence of an invariant discourse generated by an exemplary member of the diaspora. Such a discourse has formal (borrowings, code-switching, etc.), semantic (referential shifts, semantically re-oriented ...
Three Russian Baltic regions in the context of confrontation between Russia and the West
... USA), Poland — 4th, Denmark — 6th, Sweden — 8th, Finland — 9th, and Norway — 10th. Thus, six countries from the extended Baltic region (including Norway) are in the top ten countries providing military aid to Ukraine. Lithuania (14th place), Estonia (16th), and Latvia (18th) are in the second ten, leading the world in terms of total state aid to Ukraine as a percentage of GDP.<8> This serves as additional evidence of the foreign policy alignment of the Baltic region countries against ...
France’s strategy in the Baltic region: military and political aspects
... increasing its military presence in the Baltic region, which now exceeds its contingents in the Middle East and the Sahel. For example, French forces still participate in the NATO air policing programme as well as in naval exercises, keeping the troops in Estonia within the Lynx mission. France’s further activity in the region includes enhanced cooperation with Sweden and Finland after they accede to NATO, an already planned increase in military contingent in the Baltic States in 2023, and the development ...
Russian-Estonian Economic and Investment Cooperation During the Crisis: Dynamics and Possibilities
... political and economic factors in the decision-making by Estonian government. A number of special aspects, trends and problems in trade and investment ties are detected. The aim of the study is to uncover key motivation behind the actions of both Russia and Estonia, to identify the drivers for economic and political development in the region, and to work out recommendations to adjust them. The questions put forward by the authors of this article could not be more topical at the time, when Russian economic ...
The political elite recruitment in the Baltic: the role of the ethnic factor
The role of the ethnic factor in political processes in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia has been rather significant since these countries’ independence. The author investigates the assumption that after the completion of major Eurointegration procedures, the ethnic factor — which became especially important in the Baltics after ...
The regional approach in the policy of the Russian Federation towards the Republic of Estonia
This author uses regionalism as a theoretical framework for analyzing the foreign policy of the Russian Federation towards the Republic of Estonia. Regionalism is interpreted as a situation, when a political leader’s beliefs change depending on what region of the world is considered. Leaders of great powers often assume that, for example, small European countries are subject to a treatment ...
Between the Eurasian and European subsystems: migration and migration policy in the CIS and Baltic Countries in the 1990s—2020s
... Russian Federation) and European (the European Union) from 1991 to 2021 (before the recent events in Ukraine). A step-by-step analysis of the migration situation in the countries of the former USSR — Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine and Estonia was conducted. The article examines bilateral and multilateral migration processes, analyses the main factors influencing their development and explores migration policy measures and their impact on the regulation of migration processes in the ...
The Baltic economic model: some results of the 1990—2015 transformations
... Argument o sovetskih migrantah v spore o kvotah na Evrokomissiju ne dejstvuet [Rumm H: The argument of Soviet immigrants in the debate about quotas for the European Commission does not act], Eesti Rahvusringhääling, available at: http://rus.err.ee/v/estonia/5c909cfb-3d92-4fa5-822e-8580d742d7bc (accessed 03.06.2015).
4. Sokol, Ju. 2015, Kristina Kallas: ne sleduet putat' bezhencev s immigrantami [Christina Kallas: refugees should not be confused with migrants], Eesti Rahvusringhääling, available ...
Estonian Political Parties in the mid-2010s
The article provides an analysis of political party system of the Republic of Estonia in the mid-2010s. The analysis is based on the works of Moris Duverger. As one might expect, the establishment of proportionate electoral system in Estonia has resulted in the formation of a multi-party system, in which no single party dominates ...
Confiscation Estonian style: legal and political aspects of potential seizure of Russian assets in EU countries
... authorities, the country may become the first EU member state to legally establish a national mechanism for the seizure of foreign property. At the same time, the country’s authorities hope that their experience will serve as an example for the entire EU.
Estonia, however, is not the pioneer in this matter. In 2022, amendments to the Special Economic Measures Act<3> were approved in Canada. According to these amendments, the Prime Minister was granted the right to confiscate property located in Canada ...
Regional trends in electoral support for Latvian parties: the neighbourhood effect
... Instituta Evropy RAN [Scientific and Analytical Herald of IE RAS], no. 5 (5), p. 85—90. doi:
https://doi.org/1010.15211/vestnikieran520188590
(In Russ.).
8. Auers, D. 2018, Populism and Political Party Institutionalisation in the Three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Fudan J. Hum. Soc. Sci., no. 11, p. 341—355. doi:
https://doi.org/
10.1007/s40647-018-0231-1.
9. Sartori, G. 2005, Parties and Party Systems, Great Britain, ECPR Press, 368 p.
10. Golosov, G. V. 2010, The Effective Number ...
The Development of International Tourism in Lithuania: a Comparative Analysis of Regional Aspects
... competitiveness on the international tourism market. Service standards applied in Lithuania at the international tourism market uphold and improve the image of Lithuania in the Baltic Sea region. The interregional cooperation between Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the field of international tourism development is based on the principle of public private partnership. It has been recently acknowledged that the three Baltic States form an integrating region in the field of international tourism and thus ...
Language policy of Estonia: achievements and the future of education in the Russian language
Estonia’s language policy sparks serious debates in the academic community, further complicated by the politically charged nature of the topic. In the works of Estonian authors, there is unequivocal postulation of Russia’s influence on Estonian society,...
The economy of Russian Baltic regions: development level and dynamics, structure and international trade partners
The article explores the challenges encountered during the formation of the Baltic macro-region comprising Russia and eight EU countries (Germany, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) in the context of the ongoing geopolitical and geo-economic changes. The article aims to assess the dynamics, level, structure and pace of economic development of three Russian regions located on the Baltic Sea (St. Petersburg, Leningrad and ...
The Russian-speaking diaspora in the Baltic states: a socio-cultural aspect
... million Russians permanently reside outside Russia. As migration trends show, their number will be increasing in the future. The Russian-speaking diaspora in the Baltic States is an essential part of the Russian community abroad. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia used to be a single state with Russia for a long time. It could not but affect the formation of these countries as subjects of international politics. Since May 2004, the Baltic States have been members of the European Union. Together with Finland,...
On crisis trends in the legitimacy of the political regimes of the Baltic States
... analysing three major parameters: confidence in political institutions, level of corruption, and the development of their party systems. The author identifies the major crisis trends in the legitimacy of the political regimes of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The article stresses the problem of legitimacy reproduction resulting from the limited representation of the national party systems. Special attention is paid to compensatory mechanisms used by political elites to ‘artificially’ reproduce ...
Major infrastructure projects and the foreign policy of the Baltic states in 2010—2014
... integrated into both western and eastern dimensions.
1. Hartija 12 za poslednij mesjac sobrala v svoju podderzhku vsego 200 podpisej [Charter 12 last month gathered in his support of all 200 signatures], 2012, DELFI, available at: http://rus.delfi.ee/daily/estonia/hartiya-12-za-poslednij-mesyacsobrala-v-svoyu-podderzhku-vsego-200-podpisej.d?id=65469076 (accessed 30.12.2012).
2. Korrumpirovannaja Pribaltika: Brillianty vlasti, samyj dorogoj most v mire i "skuchnaja" Jestonija [Corrupt Baltics: ...
Changes in the structure and geography of tourist flows during the COVID-19 pandemic
... and regions. In the Baltic region, the structure and geography of tourist flows altered during the pandemic.
In this study, the term ‘Baltic region’ is used predominantly in its narrow sense [1] to refer collectively to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany’s five states (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Berlin) and Poland’s five northern voivodeships participating in the building of transboundary tourist and recreation regions ...
Analysing the dynamics of the Baltic States’s production linkages with Russia
... Bērziņa, S., Zorgenfreija, L. 2016, Evaluation of Latvia’s re-exports using firm-level trade data, Baltic Journal of Economics, vol. 16, № 1, p. 1—20. doi: 10.1080/1406099X.2016.1163891.
12. Ali-Yrkkö, J., Mattila, J., Seppälä, T. 2017, Estonia in Global Value Chains, ETLA Reports, № 69, 24 p. URL:
https://pub.etla.fi/ETLA-Raportit-Reports-69.pdf
(accessed 22.09.2021).
13. Smidova, Z., Yashiro, N. 2017, Getting the most out of trade in Estonia, OECD, Economics Department Working ...
Towards a classification of transboundary tourist and recreation mesoregions in the Baltic region
... arrivals); three, the third order (from 50,000 to 100,000 arrivals). The most substantial fall in tourist flows occurred in 2020—2021 in the mesoregins including Sweden and Russia and the least marked in those involving Denmark, Germany, Finland, Estonia and Latvia. The findings may help track the future restoration of transboundary tourist flows in the countries of the Baltic region.
1. Korneevets, V. 2008, The concepts of “countries of the Baltic region” and “Baltic region”, Cosmopolis,...
Transformation of global value chains in Russia and the Baltics amid Covid-19: prospects for regionalization and implications for economic policy
... The Baltics-Russian bilateral trade conducted within global value chains (GVC) and operations of multinational companies is much more resistant to geopolitical and economic shocks than traditional international trade. In particular, the accession of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to the EU and NATO in 2004 and the introduction of reciprocal EU-Russia sanctions in 2014 did not curb GVC activities between Russia and the Baltics. The article discusses factors in the transformation of the Baltics-Russian ...
Party system nationalization in Estonia
... Estonians and ethnic Russians vote for the same political parties in comparable proportions or there are ‘Estonian’ and ‘Russian’ parties in the country. The analysis of the outcomes of four local and four parliamentary elections that took place in Estonia in 2005—2019 shows that by the mid-2000s Estonia achieved a considerable level of political party system nationalization at both national and local levels. At the national level, political party system nationalization remained high in 2007—2019 ...
Estonia’s party system today: electoral turbulence and changes in ethno-regional patterns
A well-developed party system has emerged in Estonia over the decades of independence. There are, however, distinct geographical patterns of voting. A number of new political parties have appeared in the country; the regional and ethnic patterns of voting (the latter matter much in Estonia) have ...
Russia and the Baltic States: Some Results and a Few Perspectives
... Ülikooli Kirjastus.
10. Ilmyarv, М. 2012, Bezmolvnaja kapituljacija: Vneshnjaja politika Jestonii, Latvii i Litvy mezhdu dvumja vojnami i utrata nezavisimosti (s serediny 1920-h godov do anneksii v 1940) [Silent surrender: The foreign policy of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania between the two world wars and the loss of independence (since the mid-1920s to the annexation in 1940)], Moscow, ROSSPEN, 806 p.
11. Laar, М. 2005, Krasnyj terror: Repressii sovetskih okkupacionnyh vlastej v Jestonii [Red ...
The potential for expanding inter-cluster cooperation between the ship-building industries of Estonia, Finland, and North-West Russia
The shipbuilding industry clusters in the Eastern Baltic Sea region, i. e. Estonia, Finland and North-West Russia, may benefit significantly from increased mutual cooperation; however, the international networks between the clusters are still poorly developed. The aim of this article is to analyse the preconditions for cluster ...
Gas infrastructure development in the countries of East Baltic as a way to increase energy security
... ee/economy/237f4bdb-0b66—4fc5-8743-0377169683bc (accessed 25 December 2012).
11. Jeksperty: Terminal szhizhennogo gaza LNG v Talline — samyj luchshij variant dlja Pribaltiki (Jestonija) [Experts: LNG liquefied natural gas terminal in Tallinn — the best option for the Baltic States (Estonia)], 2012, REGNUM, 6 September, available at: http://www. xn--c1adwdmv. xn--p1ai/news/fd-broad/world/economy/ 1568712.html (accessed 25 December 2012).
12. Berseneva, N. 2012, Odobrena planirovka terminala LNG v Muuga [Plan approved LNG terminal ...
On the potential and opportunities for cooperation between the Baltics in the field of innovations
This article compares the research and innovation potential of Russia in general, the Northwestern federal district and the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) and explores the opportunities for cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Baltics in the field of innovations. The authors identify possible areas of cooperation and describe its mechanisms.
1. Zverev, Yu. М., Batorshina, I. А....
The Accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO: Geopolitical implications for Russia’s position in the Baltic Sea region
... responsibility limited by the Washington Treaty, became one of the foundations of American geo-strategy. This applied, among others, to the Baltic region, where Washington needed, despite inevitable negative reactions from Russia, to promote the entry of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into NATO and the maximum involvement of the then non-aligned Finland and Sweden in NATO activity. The latter included participation in possible efforts to defend the Baltic countries given their semi-isolation from the mainland ...
Economic activity of the leading religious organizations in Estonia
... regions and countries is dynamically changing and acquiring new characteristics. But these changes and the factors that determine them are not fully reflected in academic research. One of the least studied topics is the economic activity of confessions. Estonia is one of the few countries in the Baltic region where religion has not been a public institution until nowadays, therefore it hasn’t provided access to the financial records of its religious organizations.
At the same time, the population ...
Local government reforms in Estonia: institutional context, intentions and outcomes
The local government reforms of 1989 and 1993 were intended to establish a dual pattern of central-local relations in Estonia. The choice of this model was inspired and supported by the Nordic states. Although the legal framework for local government has remained untouched since 1993, the introduction of institutional mechanisms for strong local autonomy was not a success....
Key actors of German ‘soft power’ in the Baltics
This article focuses on Germany’s key ‘soft power’ actors promoting the country’s interests in the Baltics. The authors analyse the policies of ‘soft power’ aimed to create a positive image of Germany in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The article examines the activity of German political foundations, research institutions, communities, language centres, and scientific and cultural organisations. It is stressed that Germany makes use of the Baltics’ historical familiarity ...
The Role of Political Elites in the Development of Politics of Memory in the Baltic States
... policy tool that not only serves the interests of the Baltic and Eastern European politicians, but also finds ideological supporters in Western Europe and the United States.
1. Astrov, А. 2009, Jestonija: politicheskaja bor'ba za mesto v istorii [Estonia: the political struggle for a place in history], Pro et Contra, no. 3—4, p. 109—124.
2. «Atmoda» skvoz' «perestrojku»: sjuzhety latvijskoj (anti)sovetskoj istorii v period raspada SSSR ["Atmoda" through "restructuring": ...
The Role of Small Countries in Post-Soviet Territorial Restructuring: the Baltic Case
This author analyses the 2013 Lithuanian presidency of the EU in the context of the Ukrainian crisis and evaluates the contribution of Latvia and Estonia (the former Soviet republics set to preside over the EU in 2015 and 2018) to the shift in the power balance in the post-Soviet space. Through assessing the actions of small countries in promoting the Eastern Partnership programme with an emphasis ...
Electric energy cooperation in the Baltic Sea region and the role of Russia in it
... plans to establish the Baltic energy ring, which would also include Russia and Belarus. The author stresses that one of the most acute problems for the EU today is overcoming isolation of the energy systems of the Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) from that of the major part of the EU. This task has become especially relevant after the closing of the Ignalina NPP (Lithuania), which used to be the primary energy source for the three Baltic States. The article examines key projects of the ...
Nuclear power in the Baltic Sea region: the history of emergence and the political and economic features of its development
... rather young branch of national economy. However, over recent decades, it has already seen rises and falls, and a number of states have had tragic experiences of nuclear emergencies. Nevertheless, many countries — including the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — express a strong interest in development, generation, and application of nuclear power. In the Baltic States, nuclear power dates back to the Soviet times, but its development was suspended pursuant to the EU regulations ...
The prospects of nuclear power development in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea region as a factor of the formation of international relations system in the region
... politicisation of economic cooperation. The development of nuclear power in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea is indicative of the effectiveness of political and economic cooperation in the region. The author believes that Russia and the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have the economic and technological opportunities for building up cooperation in the field of energy. This points to a question whether the traditional patterns of relations that developed among these countries in the past ...
On the international cooperation of North-West Russia in the field of innovations in the Baltic
This article focuses on the cooperation between the constituent entities of the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian Federation and the Baltic countries (Finland, Estonia, and Norway) in the field of innovations at national and regional levels, as well as at the level of corporate cooperation. The author reviews successful implementation of innovation projects within cross-border and transnational cooperation programmes....
The formation of the political elite in Lithuania at the turn of the 1980s—1990s: the role of “moral politicians”
... 1996, Models of Post-communist Political Elites in Central
Europe and the Baltics: Comparative Analysis, Budapest papers on Democratic transition, no. 158, Hungarian Center for Democracy Studies Foundation.
9. Lieven, A. 1994, The Baltic Revolution: Estonia, Latvia Lithuania and the
Path to Independence, New Haven; London.
10. Lopata, R. 2010, Politikai ir Istorija. Algirdo Brazausko ir Vytauto Landsbergio istorija sampratos [Politics and History. Algirdas Brazauskas and Vytautas Landsbergis history ...
The adaptation of Russian regions’ economies to the rupture of relations with Europe: the case of Baltic Sea ports
... Russia with access to Opel technologies and patents, even though these technologies were mass-produced and could hardly be considered the most advanced and sensitive from the point of view of military rivalry.<5>
It is also necessary to recall that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, which border Russia, have for many years shown themselves to be disloyal and unreliable transit countries for freight flows from and to Russia. These countries often introduced restrictions for Russian exporters ...
Population change and the settlement system transformation in Poland, as revealed by the 2021 census
...
Natural increase
Total gain
2021
Germany
3.6
9.6
12.3
– 2.7
1
Poland
0.1
8.8
13.8
– 5
– 4.9
Sweden
4.9
11
8.8
2.2
7
Denmark
4.6
10.8
9.8
1
5.7
Finland
4.1
9
10.4
– 1.4
2.6
Lithuania
12.4
8.3
17
– 8.7
3.7
Latvia
– 0.2
9.2
18.4
– 9.2
– 9.3
Estonia
5.3
10
14
– 4
1.3
2011
Germany
3.7
8.3
10.6
– 2.3
1.3
Poland
– 0.3
10.2
9.9
– 0.3
0
Sweden
4.8
11.8
9.5
2.3
7.1
Denmark
2.4
10.6
9.4
1.2
3.6
Finland
3.1
11.1
9.4
1.7
4.8
Lithuania
– 12.6
10
13.6
– 3.6
– 16.2
Latvia
– 9.7
9.1
13....
The transformation of the Baltic countries’ political elites: general and specific features
... The thesis is put forward that despite some differences between the Baltic States their political elites have undergone very similar transformations since the 1990s. At the time, Baltic elites asserted continuity with pre-war Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia and detachment from the Soviet past. The 1990s elite struggle for power led to sharp ethnic, linguistic and political divides in Baltic societies. These rifts limit competition between power groups and reduce the ability of political systems to ...