The Baltic states' accession to NATO and the European Union : an extension of the European security community?

Stefanova, Boyka (author)

The article explores the processes of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and EU (European Union) enlargement with respect to the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It assumes that Western Europe is an established security community and seeks to determine the consequences of any imminent Baltic accession for the geopolitical configuration of Europe. Given their proximity and complex relationship with Russia, the future institutional affiliation of the Baltic states can be regarded as a test of the probability and direction of change in the density and characteristics of the Western security community. The article draws a conclusion about the necessary, however contested, character of the Baltic states' future membership in the Euro-Atlantic structures. Baltic accession would reinforce the community configuration prevailing in the region, and facilitate NATO's transformation from a military alliance into a political union. However, the same process still presents a number of challenges: the extension of the security community is not necessarily beneficial for its environment.

• Language: English
• Keywords: European union, European security, Membership, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2002
• Number of pages: Str. 156-181, 218, 220
• Numbering: Vol. 5, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135799
• UDC: 327:355.02(4)
• ISSN on article: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 21351261
• Publication date in RUL: 30.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of international relations and development
• Shortened title: J. int. relat. & dev.
• Publisher: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre of International Relations
• ISSN: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 76065792

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Pristop baltskih držav k Natu in Evropski uniji

Abstract

Članek proučuje procese širitve Nata in Evropske unije s stališča baltskih držav: Estonije, Latvije in Litve. Avtorica predpostavlja, da je zahodna Evropa že vzpostavljena varnostna skupnost. Na tej podlagi želi določiti posledice neizbežnega pristopa baltskih držav za geopolitično podobo Evrope. Glede na bližino in kompleksnost odnosov z Rusijo imamo lahko bodočo institucionalno včlanitev baltskih držav za preizkus verjetnosti in smeri sprememb, ki bo pokazal pomen in značilnostih zahodne varnostne skupnosti. Avtorica izpeljuje sklep o nujni, čeprav tudi sporni značilnosti bodočega članstva baltskih držav v evroatlantskih strukturah. Pristop baltskih držav bo okrepil obliko skupnosti, ki prevladuje na tem območju, in omogočil preoblikovanje Nata iz vojaškega zavezništva v politično unijo. Seveda pa ti procesi prinašajo tudi številne izzive. Širitev varnostne skupnosti namreč ni nujno koristna za njeno okolje.

• Keywords: Evropska unija, evropska varnost, varnostni položaj, Evropska varnost, Članstvo, Estonija, Latvija, Litva, Rusija