National preferences and bargaining of the new member states since the enlargement of the EU: the Baltic States – still policy takers? Cover Image

National preferences and bargaining of the new member states since the enlargement of the EU: the Baltic States – still policy takers?
National preferences and bargaining of the new member states since the enlargement of the EU: the Baltic States – still policy takers?

Author(s): Ramūnas Vilpišauskas
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Foreign Policy Research Center

Summary/Abstract: The article addresses sources of preference formation of the European policy in the Baltic States. More specifically, the article focuses on the key factors Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania relied upon in forming their national preferences since their accession into the EU, the key policy areas where the relevant institutions of these countries have been the most active, and finally, the factors that can account for the varying degree of influence and success with which the Baltic States have been able to upload their national policy preferences onto the EU agenda. The main argument is that the effectiveness of European policies of small countries, such as the Baltic States, largely depends on the consistency of their domestic policy and efforts at implementing it both “at home” and in the neighborhood, as well as European policy demands. The inconsistency of domestic policies originating from policy-makers wary of popular attitudes and, in particular, of activities of interest groups rather than asymmetric bargaining power has prevented the governments of these countries from convincing their EU partners. Importantly, the inconsistency is not so much an outcome of the lack of administrative capacities or political party disagreements on policy priorities; rather, it originates from a tension created by the dependency on third countries and corresponding activities of economic interest groups which have a stake in these relations (for example, energy supplies from Russia) as well as the efforts of political elites to reduce these dependencies and reorient economic links to the EU member states. Additionally, what the comparative analysis of the three countries suggests is that the population’s trust in the government and stronger consensus on domestic policies among elites also reinforce the consistency of domestic and European policies by reducing policy changes caused by election cycles.

  • Issue Year: 2011
  • Issue No: 25
  • Page Range: 9-32
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: English