 |
|
|
|
local
news
The Estonian story: Europhile barometer
linked to PM's behaviour
By Signe
Alliksoo
The number of Estonian people who favour joining the European Union
is on the decline.
Only 31% of people in Estonia now want to be part of the EU. The
number of eurosceptics stood at 51% in March, up from 46% in February.
Joining the EU is the main foreign policy priority in Estonia. But
taking the figures above into account, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Toomas-Hendrik Ilves, may well have to ask the question: if Estonia
wants to wait, then what?
None of our top businessmen or leaders of enterprises or organisations
is against the EU. In fact, supporters see a better quality of life,
a better social environment, security and the possibility of using
the EU as a gateway.
The problem is how to inform the man on the street, or rather, in
the village.
There is no lack of information concerning the EU in Estonia, but
this information is far too complicated for the everyday people.
The message needs to be simple enough for people from the villages
as well as the better educated to understand.
For the common people, the promised three billion EEK per year and
agricultural subsidy are too abstract.
What they are afraid of is double or triple food prices, a wider
gap between the poor and the rich, higher taxes and foreign workers.
Incidentally, there were only three refugees who sought asylum last
year in Estonia. In contrast in Slovenia, which is also a post-
socialist country, with almost the same population, there were 9,240
refugees last year.
One of the reasons for euro-scepticism is that people still remember
the disadvantages of membership of another union - the Soviet Union
- very clearly. This gives them a feeling that it might be better
to remain independent.
The Estonians' caution about joining the EU is more domestic than
foreign. The government's popularity rating is very low at the moment
and many Estonians are thinking that joining the EU will just add
to problems on the home front.
Mart Laar's government started dropping in popularity last summer,
when, in spite of the people's opposition, the government decided
to sell Estonian's power plants to a US company.
Things took a turn for the worse when, on 7 February, a "picture
scandal" was disclosed, revealing how the Prime Minister had
fired at the picture of a person from the Opposition party.
The question of joining the EU is not just a simple "yes"
or "no" at the moment in Estonia, but is more of a "why".
And the people's opinion is also likely to be determined by the
image and behaviour of those people who promote the EU. When these
improve, then the number of europhiles is likely to grow as well!
•
Signe Alliksoo is a freelance writer. She has visited Malta, and
resides in Talinn
|
|
|
