Briefing No 42
The Russian minority in the Baltic States and the enlargement of the EU

The views expressed in this document are not necessarily those held by the European Parliament as an institution.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

II. BACKGROUND

III. ESTONIA

1. Legal situation
2. Current social issues

IV. LATVIA

1. Legal situation
2. Current social issues

22. LITHUANIA

VI. THE EUROPEAN UNION

ANNEX

I. INTRODUCTION

The European Council set out its criteria for membership of the European Union at the Copenhagen Summit in 1993. One of the criteria was "that the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the respect for and protection of minorities". It is in regard to this criterion, and more particularly in regards to ensuring the rights of the Russian minority, that a number of concerns have been raised concerning the applications for EU membership from the Baltic States.

This paper considers the historical background to the current situation, before setting out in turn, the current position in each of the Baltic States, describing in detail the current legal situation in relation to citizenship.