Lithuania S Road To The European Union

This book is a timely and solid portrait of modern China from the First Opium War to the Xi Jinping era. Unlike the handful of existing textbooks that only provide narratives, this textbook fashions a new and practical way to study modern China. Written exclusively for university students, A-level or high school teachers and students, it uses primary sources to tell the story of China and introduces them to existing scholarship and academic debate so they can conduct independent research for their essays and dissertations. This book will be required reading for students who embark on the study of Chinese history, politics, economics, diaspora, sociology, literature, cultural, urban and women's studies. It would be essential reading to journalists, NGO workers, diplomats, government officials, businessmen and travellers.

This book examines the impact of EU membership on the foreign policies of the 12 new member states that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. Among scholars of European politics there is a general consensus that membership in the European Union changes the countries that join. Yet considerable debate remains over what exactly changes, to what extent, how or why these changes happen, and why some countries, policies, and institutions change more than others. Expert contributors examine the impact of EU integration and membership, with chapters on the 12 new EU entrants since 2004: Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Bulgaria, and Romania. Utilizing a common analytical framework, each of the country case studies examines the impact of EU membership on the foreign policies of the new member states in three key areas: foreign policy making institutions and procedures, interests and preferences, and strategies and actions. The New Member States and the European Union will be of interest to students and scholars of European Studies and European Union Politics.

A number of experts focus upon the conceptual challenges facing the European Union as a result of the enlargement process. This second volume of a set addresses the eastward enlargement process from the perspective of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the legal and political challenges surrounding the EU accession of the Baltic States. It examines the impact of EU enlargement on relations with Russia and on the constitutional development of the countries concerned.

Since the end of the Cold War there has been an increased interest in the Baltics. The Baltic States brings together three titles, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to provide a comprehensive and analytical guide integrating history, political science, economic development and contemporary events into one account. Since gaining their independence, each country has developed at its own pace with its own agenda and facing its own obstacles. The authors examine the tensions accompanying a post-communist return to Europe after the long years of separation and how each country has responded to the demands of becoming a modern European state. Estonia was the first of the former Soviet republics to enter membership negotiations with the European Union in 1988 and is a potential candidate for the next round of EU expansion in 2004. Lithuania and Latvia have also expressed their desire for future membership of NATO and the EU.

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Eastern Europe, grade: 1,0, University of Latvia (Department of Political Science), course: Politics and Policy in Baltic States, 16 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The paper will be divided in two main parts: The first part is about the structures and the functions of the EU institutions. This presentation will be focused on three institutions of the EU: The European Commission, The Council of the European Union and The European Parliament, due to the fact that this "institutional triangle" produces the policies and laws that apply throughout the EU. Any of these institutions will be introduced in an own subchapter by explaining their composition, procedures and functions. ...] Important to mention is that the "Council of the European Union" should not to be confused with the "Council of Europe", an organisation separate from the EU with a wider membership, or with the "European Council", the meeting of the heads of state and government of the EU together with members of the Commission (Archer 2000:44). In the following the terms "Council" and "Council of Ministers" are only used as synonyms for "The Council of the European Union". The presentation of the institutions of the EU will be followed by an overview about the EU accession procedures of the three Baltic States. This chapter will be introduced by a short description of the official regulations to become a member of the EU, more precisely a description of "the eight stages to EU". These mentioned backgrounds are essential for the following second part of the paper, the empirical analyse of the attitudes of the Baltic population to the European Union. It is mainly based on aggregate data of several editions of the Eurobarometer, which will be introduced in an own section. Other, also on aggregate data based surveys, are used, if they show significant different results or if they contain some