Social Democrats call for EU entry referendums

VILNIUS - Vytenis Andriukaitis, chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary committee on European affairs and deputy chairman of the ruling Social Democratic Party, has urged Algirdas Brazauskas' government and President Valdas Adamkus to express their opinion about the idea of holding a referendum on European Union membership in Lithuania. And he wants simultaneous referendums to take place in Latvia and Estonia, too.

On Oct. 29 at a meeting in Riga of the chairpersons of Latvia's and Estonia's European affairs committees, Andriukaitis proposed holding referenda on EU membership at the same time in all the three Baltic states.

He suggested August or September 2003 and added that the person behind the idea was really Gediminas Kirkilas, a Social Democrat MP and chairman of the Lithuanian Parliament's foreign affairs committee.

MPs from both the ruling center-left coalition and the opposition expressed their positions on this issue at news conferences on Oct. 31.

"The electorate is asking for such referendums," Kirkilas said at a news conference. "The Estonians and Latvians are ready to hold referendums in their countries, and that encourages a similar mood here. I'm absolutely sure our nation would vote for EU membership. Simultaneous referendums in the three countries would be a nice gesture, taking into account our common past."

August 2003, 14 years after 2 million Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians formed a human chain from Vilnius to Tallinn in protest against Soviet occupation, would be an ideal date, said Andriukaitis.

"By holding a referendum at the same time, the three Baltic countries would demonstrate solidarity and show that they are a united region," he went on.

The idea, however, could prove to be a dangerous gamble. Opinion polls show that 55.5 percent of Lithuanians, 44 percent of Latvians and only 36 percent of Estonians would vote for EU membership.

All three Baltic states expect to conclude EU membership talks in 2002 and be ready to assume membership obligations from Jan. 1, 2004.

Like some politicians to the north, Liberal MP Gintaras Steponavicius is not convinced of the advantages of the Baltic states clubbing together. "Lithuania should coordinate a referendum together with Poland and Hungary if these countries are also invited to join the EU," he said.

"I'm not categorically against Andriukaitis and Kirkilas' idea. But it's not just the three Baltic countries that will join the EU. There will also be countries from Central Europe. Poland is no less an important factor for us. The Polish decision about an EU entry referendum would have significant influence on Lithuania and on the opinion of the Lithuanian people," Steponavicius told The Baltic Times.

He also urged a change in Lithuania's referendum law. "Lithuania is the only European country where victory at a referendum requires more than 50 percent of votes to say yes," Steponavicius said. People who fail to vote in referendums here are counted as those who vote against the question posed.