Challenged European Values: Minority Rights in Estonia and Latvia

Abstract

We devote the paper to the study of the place of common European values within the European Union. The core of the work is based on the analysis of two cases - the displacement of the Monument to the Liberators of Tallinn, which happened in Estonia in April 2007; and the situation that unfolded in Latvia around the national citizenship policy and the protection of the linguistic rights of the Russian minority. There are tree goals in the research. First, we are to find out what values are reflected on the community level of the European Union and what their legal status is within the Community Law. Second, we will identify whether European values are reflected in the policy- and decision-making process on the national level. We conclude by examining the link between values of the European Union and the protection of minority rights in the EU.