Environmental problems and policy options in the Baltic states: Learning from the west?

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are facing severe environmental challenges following their independence, in which environmental movements had played an important role. Ecological threats from land‐use, water and air pollution are described and discussed in this study, drawing from the experience of policies implemented in the West. These include those normative, economic and coercive policy instruments in national as well as international environmental regimes, and the role of citizen participation in the implementation process. The prospect of new and more effective ways of combating environmental problems in these newly independent countries will depend largely upon the commitment of grassroots organisations and public support to prioritise their environment during times of economic recession.