Which is the Only Game in Town? Minority Rights Issues in Estonia and Slovakia During and After EU Accession

Abstract

Post-communist transition went hand in hand with the European integration process. Much of the literature on EU accession focuses on the rational decision to implement a set of European norms into domestic legislation pre-accession. It is often concluded that once EU membership is achieved, states succumb their rationality and act on the basis of internalised norms. The paper claims that the past literature overlooks the wider framework within which policy-makers operate before and after the accession, namely domestic sovereignty over policy-making and implementation. Tracing the policy dynamics in the area of minority rights in Estonia and Slovakia, we demonstrate that the European integration ushered greater domestic control over policy implementation on minority issues in two states exposed to a heavy dose of conditionality. As we observe, both states have consolidated their state- and nation-building policies referencing EU conditionality in the course of accession and later EU membership to assert centrality of domestic objectives for policy-making and implementation.

Key Words:

• European integration
• minority rights
• implementation
• compliance
• Slovakia
• Estonia

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Malte Brosig and David J. Galbreath for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Notes

¹ Integration and Migration Foundation (MEIS) reports of activity, see http://www.meis.ee/keeleoppe-arendamise-programm (accessed 13 July 2012).

² Authors interview with Tänel Mätlik, Head of the Estonian Integration Foundation, Tallinn, 4 December 2009.

³ Authors interview with József Berényi, Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava, 30 June 2009.

⁴ Bocian and Groszkowski (2009).

⁵ Committee of Ministers' Recommendations, 18 November 2009, http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/minlang/Report/Recommendations/SlovakiaCMRec2_en.pdf.

⁶ Authors interview with László Öllös, Forum Minority Research Institute, Šamorin, 10 September 2009.