Kurs Diskussion:Internet- und Projektkompetenz/Lithuania joined the EU

"Lithuania became a fully-fledged NATO and EU member in early 2004, and oozed with pride when it became the first of 25 EU members to ratify the EU constitution in November that year. Giving the green light with practically no political debate or public referendum to the controversial constitution highlighted Lithuania's indiscriminate eagerness for all things European - including the euro, which many Lithuanians are gagging for (and will most probably get in January 2007)."

I found this piece of text on this lonelyplanet website. It is supposed to provide travellers with helpful information about the political situation in Lithania. Well, my feeling is that the author is behaving extemely disrespectful as well as sort of patronizing toward Lithuanian people. I hope that WE will be able to differentiate and to come up with something much more profound! --Susi 17:12, 20. Okt. 2006 (CEST)

What do you think?

Lithuanian politics realy made a mistake when they had ratified the European constitution without any debate. Lithuania became "First state" who had ratified the EU constitution and it was ironicaly called "European Delaware". (Delaware was the first state of USA who had ratified the United States Constitution.) But on the other hand if all EU contries had been ratified the EU constitution maybe now Lithuania would have been the hero of EU.:)

In the year 2004 Lithuanians were fanatics of EU. Dispite the fact that some of Lithuanians wanted Lithuania to be neutral state, such like Swiss and others, and said that LT will never be independent ( for 50 years LT belonged to Soviet UNION and now after 14 years of independency LT want to belong to European UNION. To my mind the word UNION played a great role, Lithuanian was affraid of it (because of Soviets.)). But the biggest part of Lithuanians were Euro-enthusiasts. They maybe first time in their lives felt as a real Europeans, and I think this feeling was very strong and still remains in their hearts. After the joy that now we are the members of EU, Lithuanians got a huge financial support from EU. This also made influence to their attitude of EU ( when somebody gives you something, you always respect and you will always be thankfull to him ) Lithuanians saw that beeing a member of EU it's not just feeling european it's also a benefit. EU helped LT to raise it's economy, LT politics and businesmans put great effords to it also. EU financial support was distributed to all LT needs ( renovating roads, agricultural economy, social security and etc.) And because of this now Lithuanians begin to feel like real europeans, because only now they are getting the same conditions to live, to work, to study like the other europens. This also made a huge influence on Lihuanians atitude to EU. It raised it a lot. Lithuanians woud'nt gain Euro in 2007 because still LT economy is not so strong, it's planning to get it in 2010. We hope then LT economy will be enough strong.

Tadas,

Lithuania.Kaunas./ Vytautas Magnus University./ L'Institut des Sciences Politiques et la Diplomatie. ly_mayday@yahoo.com

For the moment, I'm still looking up informations about Lithunia because I don't know a lot about the country. So please excuse the slow start into the discussion. Indeed, I would like to know, if you think that anything changed in your personal life after the EU-acces. Our project just started one week ago, so we are now working on an concept and thinking about the main subject we want to do researches about. --Mirjam 13:53, 23. Okt. 2006 (CEST)

Hello Tadas, welcome on our site! Thanks a lot for joining in! As Mirjam has pointed out our project is still in its infacy, so we are extremely grateful for your input. What I found especially interesting about what you said was that in people's minds there is a link between the two Unions. Of course it makes perfect sense that Lithuanians have a strong desire to avoid any kind of "opression", but I would have never come up with it myself. As I understand the general feeling about the EU nowadays is positive, even towards the Euro. From my German point of view that is really fascinating, as I am quite skeptical about the Union, for instance that many things will be standardized and put under an all encompassing EU-law. For me that has mainly negative connotations. As I saw you are studying politics, so you probably have a better and wider understanding of the "big picture" concerning the EU than me or most people in Germany or Lithuania. Like Mirjam I would very much like to know how you personally feel about Lithuania's future in the EU. Do you link your future to the EU? Do you think that it is important to your life that Lithuania becomes a full member (including the Euro) in the Union? Btw, I was really glad to see that you obviously didn't take offence at the quotation I put on this site. I wasn't sure if it was OK to put something up which I personally considered to be disrespectful. So I'm very glad to see that you took it with humor. Thanks! :) --Susi 02:36, 24. Okt. 2006 (CEST)

Hello Tadas! My name is Sabrina and I'm also part of the Lithuania project. Great to have you with us! Just like Mirjam, I'm trying to get information about your country at the moment, as I haven't really dealt with Lithuania so far. I'd be interested in the fact if there's a strong difference in the attitude of the urban and rural Lithuanian people towards the EU? What do you think? This might be worth doing some research on. Thanks for your efforts!--Sabrina Hepp 14:15, 24. Okt. 2006 (CEST)

Hallo,

First of all I don’t think that something had changed in my personal life after Lithuania joined the EU. I saw first changes when I was crossing LT- Poland border: nobody was asking to show my passport and I passed border without stopping. I remember it was great, but I can’t name these changes personally.

About Lithuania's future in the EU, I think it’s the only way for such small country to have it’s vote and to survive independent in Europe. I understand your skeptical opinion about EU, because Germany is very big and strong country, but with Lithuania is not the same. Lithuania is small and economically weak country, LT needs partners, friends. To my mind Lithuania wouldn’t survive independent alone. And it’s a fear that if Lithuania didn’t join the EU, it may belong to the influence of the Russia. And what is better to belong to EU or to Russia? I think it’s much better to be a member of EU. And still now there is a great influence of Russia in Lithuania so only EU can help us to cope with it. I think it’s not so important for Lithuania to get Euro it’s much more important to have a real vote in EU.

Tadas,

EU and Lithuania

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I agree with Tadas but I also think that this friendly-fanatic attitude towards Europe did not only appear because of fact that Lithuania feels safer in a some kind of union, Lithuania as a country is a very European country , let alone the fact that it is based in the centre of Europe, and now when it wants to join European union so much it also clearly states , that Lithuania always was and always(hopefully) will be European country. Because those 50 years of occupation really erased us not only from the European but also from international community, and done a great damage to our own culture we are so eager to say : "We are free Lithuanians, and we are not some district of CCCP" , and where else if not Europe is a best place to shout that out loud, and not be punished for it. Europe is a multicultural and multinational place and diversity prospers in Europe, that is why it is vital to join it, if you want to show your uniqueness, you first have to be accepted, to know that someone is listening ...

Now talking about peoples attitude to European Union, rural people are extremely devastated after the soviet union so though our country has a rich agricultural experience , the whole system is traumatized, that is why when some russian financed jokers/politicians come and offer them some candy they buy it and vote for them instead of serious politicians, that is why the process of the agricultural revival is still delayed. Students and urban people on the other hand show great enthusiasm towards European Union, because they instantaneously feel the consequences(like various international study programs and other tangible stuff in the cities) whereas rural people do not feel that good change so fast and they are more skeptic about joining European union.

So to sum up I want to say that Lithuania's "eagerness for all things European" is more the eagerness to show the world in a multicultural and tolerant community i.e. Europe, that Lithuania is independent and it is here to stay. Furthermore the difference between the attitudes of rural and urban Lithuania is because of the rural Lithuania's disability to heal wounds of sovietism in agriculture system quickly, and the less tangible development of rural Lithuania in agricultural sphere. And of course the corrupt politicians, taking European money for themselves insted of investing it for the better future of Lithuania....but they are the problem of every country i guess.. thanks for reading...

Justas Kaunas University of Technology

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Project

Thanks a lot for your very interesting opinions. With these very helpful informations, I think, we soon can start to develop our project in a more detailed way.

Perhaps we will work out a questionnaire for realizing a survey about people's opionions. I tried to contact a newspaper, but til now, I didn't get any answer. Perhaps you, guys, know a small regional newspaper that is more easily to contact than a big one.

Our trip to Lithunia will take place between mid-February and mid-Avril, we don't know yet. If you know any journalist, politician or professor who could be interested in our project, please tell us.

And when you have some ideas for interesting question to do research about or to ask people, we would like to process them. --Mirjam 10:31, 3. Nov. 2006 (CET)

Hello Justas and welcome back Taudas! Our project is going a little slow, so please excuse the delay. We are really happy that you two joined in. :) I found it very interesting what you, Justas, said about the link between the "eagerness for all things European" and the longing for having the Lithuanian culture recognized as something independent and valuable by the international community. I absolutely understand that people who had been oppressed for decades feel a strong desire for a "clean and quick brake" with the past and for being recognized as much more than only a part of the hated opressing "Union". I would definitely feel that way!

Just recently I watched a documetation on TV in which a business man from Lithania stated that in his opinion the connection with the EU had strengthened way too quickly. He believed that the quick developement has harmed the inner unity of his country and caused instability, because it didn't leave room for Lithuania to (re-)establish its own structures and to become a truely independent country again. What's your opinion about that? Do you think the speed of the whole developement after the independence was too quick?

Tadas, from a German point of view it's really strange to see Germany being considered a "big and strong country". But I guess that`s the typical "German pessimism". ;) --Susi 18:00, 10. Nov. 2006 (CET)