COMPLIANCE OF THE POST-SOVIET BALTIC STATES WITH THE INSTITUTIONAL AND VALUE REQUIREMENTS OF EU MEMBERSHIP

Abstract

The compliance of the Baltic States with the EU requirements for member states is studied. Compliance is determined by the indicators of gender equality, tolerance and effectiveness of anti-corruption policy. A set of problems that hinder the consolidation of democracy in the Baltic States is identified. The gradual increase of various ethnic stereotypes and new social phobias in the communities of the Baltic States was noted. The authors attribute the problems of democracy quality and discrepancies with EU standards to the peculiarities of political culture and value orientations of the population (dominance of survival values over self-expression values). It is concluded that the Baltic States do not fully meet the EU standards at the institutional and value levels. It is argued that institutional reforms have satisfactory results in many areas, but the values of the population are modernizing very slowly towards those specifically defined by the EU.

Keywords

• Baltic States
• quality of democracy
• gender equality
• tolerance
• prevention and counteraction of corruption