Estonians voted Sunday in a referendum on whether their nation should join the European Union
Published:
15 September 2003 y., Monday
Estonians voted massively in favour of joining the European Union in a referendum yesterday. Ahead of the vote, pro-EU advertisements lined streets across the state. Referendums in Estonia and in next-door Latvia on Sept. 20 are expected to pass, though not by the 91 percent margin of the May vote in the third Baltic state, Lithuania. Estonians and Latvians started out skeptical of the European Union and, until recently, it seemed they could snub the bloc.
But the government and businesses eager for seamless access to EU markets have pulled out the stops and the campaign cash to ensure victory. The national carrier, Estonian Air, is even offering "Yes Fares" tickets to London and Paris at 60 percent off.
Estonia and Latvia are the last of the 10 EU invitees to hold votes on membership. Seven already approved theirs, and in Cyprus lawmakers are deciding. All are expected to become members in May 2004.
Šaltinis:
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Latvia's next ambassador to the United States may be Māris Riekstiņš, replacing Aivis Ronis, whose tour of duty ends this year
more »
Gerhard Schröder's ruling Social Democrats have bowed to public pressure and announced plans to scrap Germany's 54-year-old ban on national plebiscites
more »
Turkey could open European Union entry talks as early as next April should the EU decide that the country is up to the EU's economic and democratic standards
more »
All EU member states have to share the burden of securing the bloc's external borders, according to the incoming European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs
more »
The president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Yoriko Kawaguchi in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana
more »
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami plans to visit Belarus in September 9-10
more »
Belorusian KGB investigators have charged opposition politician with stealing office equipment from the Business Initiative think tank
more »
Europe's newest and youngest prime minister, Stanislav Gross, 34, now leads his coalition with a one seat majority in the lower house of parliament
more »
Japan's House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono suggested Tuesday that Japan should maintain its war-renouncing Constitution rather than revising it in order to try and gain a permanent seat of the UN Security Council
more »
Rumsfeld in Russia: Differences persist between the two countries
more »