MERWBKBS · Patterns and management of ethnic relations in the Western Balkans and the Baltic States

Patterns and management of ethnic relations in the Western Balkans and the Baltic States

This project focused on ethnic politics in the Western Balkans and the Baltic States. Its main findings are as follows: (1) Ethnic relations in the Western Balkans and the Baltic States The relaxation of the bond between regional security and ethnic relations facilitated the EU's engagement on minority rights in Serbia. The powerful bond between regional security and ethnic relations complicated the EU's engagement on minority rights in Latvia. (2) The populist and radical right in the Baltic States The populist and radical right in Estonia and Latvia centres on: ethnic politics, regional security and anti-immigration. The Euroscepticism of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE) and Latvia’s National Alliance comprises three components: geopolitical, economic and sociocultural. (3) Euroscepticism in Serbia and Croatia Whereas in Croatia, Euroscepticism is multifaceted, in Serbia it focuses on geopolitics. Ruling HDZ (Croatia) and SNS (Serbia) employ Euroscepticism in a 'soft' and adaptive manner. (4) Information warfare and identity politics in Estonia and Latvia Pro-Kremlin media exert a certain impact upon the younger ethnic Russians’ identity-perceptions. This influence is subject to socioeconomic realities, the fragmentation within the ethnic Russian communities and the opportunities granted by Estonia’s and Latvia’s membership of the EU. (5) Ethnic relations in Serbia and Croatia Intercultural cohabitation has been a living reality in the region of Vojvodina (Serbia) and it is to account for the generally low propensity to ethnic conflict. Vojvodinian regionalism has been exerting an appeal that cuts across ethno-cultural boundaries. Of pivotal importance, in the region of Istria (Croatia), are: the safeguarding of the Partisan movement’s legacies and the legal framework on minority rights by the dominant party of the Istrian Democratic Assembly; the cooperation among people from different ethnic backgrounds in the tourist industry. (6) Ethnic politics in Central and Eastern Europe The cooperation between experts in ethnic politics and experts in the far right needs to become more systematic. This will enable experts in ethnic politics to assess more precisely the degree to which Euroscepticism and anti-immigration can reshape ethnic politics across Central and Eastern Europe. It will also enable experts in the far right to elaborate new models about how populist and Eurosceptic actors embed their agendas inside pre-existing political cultures of nationalism.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз