Integration policies in Estonia 2000-2007

Raivo VetikTallinn University

Content

1. Historical and demographic background2. Estonian integration programmes3. Future challenges

1. Historical and demographic background 1934 census – ethnic Estonians composed 88

percent, Russians 8 percent, and other nationalities 4 percent of the population of Estonia

In 1945 ethnic Estonians formed 97.3% of the populati on

During the ensuing Soviet period, the number of non-Estonians increased twenty-sixfold, from 23,000 in 1945 to 602,000 in 1989. At the same time the number of ethnic Estonians decreased from about one million in 1940 to 965,000 in 1989

In 1940s Estonia lost about 20 percent of its preoccupation population

Regaining independence in 1991 Legal continuity as the formal

basis of the Estonian statehood - the citizenship law of 1992 defined only those who possessed Estonian citizenship before June 16, 1940 and their descendants as citizens

Differences compared to the integration issues in Estonia and West European countries:

the need to reform a number of social structures (for example, educational system), in the process of which, the old ones must be pulled down

antagonism between different foreign policy orientations, primarily concerning the attitude to Russia

Theories of transition - Juan Linz & Alfred Stepan (1996),

‘When Democracy and the Nationa-State Are Conflicting Logics: Estonia and Latvia’, in Juan Linz & Alfred Stepan (eds.), Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe, John Hopkins University Press 1996, pp.401.

Ethnic democracy model - Sammy Smooha

Civilizational conflict model - Huntington - Lauristin & Vihalemm Return to the

Western World, Tartu 1997

Nation-building theories - Karl Deutsch - Walker Connor

Three interrelated dimensions: 1. democratization of political

system 2. marketization of economic

system 3. relationship between ethnic

groups

1. Democratization a. Parlamentary system and

presidential system. b. Majoritarian and

proportional electoral system

2. Economic transition a. active state and minimal

state b. shock strategy and

gradualist economic transformation

3. Nationality policy a. Who should be members of

demos in new states? b. Strategies for handling

minorities problem - assimilation, domination or multiculturalism

2. Estonian integration programmes

Two conceptually different phases of development in thinking about the future of inter-ethnic setting in Estonia

‘The basis of Estonian state policy in integrating non-Estonians into Estonian society’, February 1998

‘Integration in Estonian society 2000-2007’, March 2000

Integration as a two-way process John Rex Differentiation between public and private spheres:(a) society that is unitary in public sphere but tolerant

regarding differences in private sphere;(b) society that is unitary in public sphere and

promotes unity also in private sphere;(c) society that promotes difference and differential

rights both in public and private sphere;(d) society that promotes difference and differential

rights in public sphere but unity in private sphere.

A pair of analytic categories ‘unity-difference’ became the basis of defining integration:

Two processes shape the essence of integration of Estonian society: on one hand, social homogenization of the society based on knowledge of Estonian language and acquiring Estonian citizenship, and on the other, opportunity to preserving ethnic differences through recognizing minority cultural rights

Spheres of integration 1. Linguistic-communicative integration,

meaning reproduction of a common space of information and an Estonian language environment in Estonian society under the conditions of diversity and tolerance;

2. Legal-political integration, meaning molding a population that is loyal to the Estonian state and diminishing the number of people without Estonian citizenship;

3. Socio-economic integration, meaning achieving an equal opportunity in competition and social mobility of members of Estonian society irrespective of their ethnic or cultural background.

The Estonian model of multiculturalism

State

Individual

Strong common ground 1. Social institutions 2. Democratic values 3. Language 4. Educational system 5. Mutual tolerance

Titular ethnic group

Other ethnic groups

New Integration Programme for 2008-2013

Stonger focus on socio-economic and political integration issues

Ethnic Estonians as one of the target groups

Need for a new management structure for integration policies

3. Future challenges

Different understanding of nation state among majority and minority:

Attitudes of ethnic Estonians towards participation of non-Estonians in public sphere

Attitudes of non-Estonians towards events of 1940 in Estonia

Relationship to Russia Russia’s interference into Estonian affairs

in the April crisis - in order to provide security the government has to think about the triadic nexus Estonia, Russia and Estonian Russians.

But the government treats the defenders of the Bronze Soldier (and in a sense all Estonian Russians) as Russia’s henchmen.

A recent survey brought out that Estonian Russians are divided into more or less three even groups – well (28%), moderately (34%) and weakly (38%) integrated.

The key question of the Estonian statehood is which side the medium group will decide to join.

The overwhelming majority of the first group are Estonian citizens (91%), in the medium group about half (57%) and in the last group only 18% are the Estonian citizens.

The ethnopolitcal models of Popular Front and Citizens’ Committees in 1990s

New paradigm - shift from ethnic to political understanding of nationhood in Estonia - solidarity of Estonian people is based not so much on ethnocultural belonging, but rather on democratic values and shared political institutions