FOCUS - NEW EU COUNTRIES AT THE EASTERN RIM OF THE BALTIC SEA2010-04-03 17:42:03
The foundations of the small countries at the Eastern side of the Baltic Sea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, since a couple of years members of the EU, are severely hit by the financial and economic crisis.
In spite of this fact, their needs are of little or no interest for the information media. Internationally, they are of too little weight to generate attention. An additional reason: No big scandals or disasters can reported from them.
The erosion in the economies, in the societies, at the social level and in governmental matters happens without noise. Tjhe poor, espeically those who were supported - modestly but safely - by the collective institutions of the Soviet system, are dying silently and early.
Self-sufficiency, on the basis of own rural activities - all three countries have strong rural back-grounds and many, especially those who did not belong the favourites of the Soviet empire, may possess a town flat - continues to play a far more important role than in the Western European industrial countries.
Those whose survival is protected by the self-sufficiency economy feel decreasing or even missing money income but - in contrast to those who formerly were protected by the system, do not perish.
The self-sufficient have no eyes for the precarious situation of the poor old in the townships. There is little solidarity with the poor. One reason is that they are considered as an unwanted heritage from the now gone occupants.
Each of those who can be counted among the better-off is struggling, form the morning to the night, for the needs of to-day and to-morrow, for himself and for those who are closest to him. The crisis has increased the efforts to earn income.
Civic spirit and acting for the common weal are still considered as habits from an unknown, far away world.
The convergence between the neu EU countries in the East with those which are called the old EU is difficult, especially because the citizens of the countries which, only a short period ago, joined the EU, have not yet understood that they have to re-habilitate the civic society supporting virtues and institutions which were lost during the Second World War.
This situation, among other deficiencies, causes immense difficulties to materialize EU support programmes because they are under the assumption that truly native non-governmental bodies (NGO) in the fields of social welfare, community or regional economy development are in place. Budgets are not the problem but appropriate projects.
In view of all this, the Baltic Sea Foundation draws the attention on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.