II. The Baltic Region

After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central and Eastern European states understood that they could only ensure their future security and wellbeing by fully integrating with Western institutions. The Baltic States’ accession to NATO and the EU involved a long process that started soon after independence. While their consensus on joining NATO was strong, it was more difficult to secure agreement from existing members. The relatively weak defence capabilities of the Baltic States, Russia’s objections to NATO enlargement, and a lack of vision and political will of some Allies were the main obstacles to Baltic membership. For Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, integration into NATO turned out to be politically a more arduous journey than joining the EU. Nevertheless, having welcomed Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to its ranks at its 1999 Summit in Washington, DC, NATO reaffirmed its commitment to the enlargement process and presented nine aspirant countries – including the three Baltic States – with Membership Action Plans (MAP). In 2002, at its summit in Prague, NATO decided to invite Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to begin accession talks to join the Alliance, which culminated in their membership on 29 March 2004. As a practical manifestation of the benefits of membership and burden-sharing, the Allies immediately launched the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) operation – a peacetime mission to patrol the Baltic States’ airspace. Conducted from an airbase in Lithuania, it remained NATO’s only form of presence in the Baltics for more than a decade. Historical experience and concerns about an uncertain future acted as powerful driving forces for the Baltic States to seek stronger protection against threats to their statehood. A common guiding principle of their foreign and security policies since regaining independence has been ‘never alone again’, which meant that they took a path of full integration