The December 1999 EU-Helsinki Summit defined the character of EU enlargement into the 21st century, and in the process raised questions about the limits to enlargement, the nature of European identity, the readiness of the EU itself to enlarge and the evolving nature of states and societies that are to be integrated.

The EU and the process of integration have been considered to be primary vehicles to achieve security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Baltic States. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have all sought to 'return to Europe' in the post-Soviet period. In analysing the relative effectiveness and success of post-Soviet systemic transformation, it is argued that the Baltic States have come furthest the fastest, also implying the furthest (back) to Europe. How the Baltic states move forward out of their Soviet past is the focus of the EU evaluation of readiness for membership, as highlighted most clearly in the Opinions (Avis) of July 1997, which placed Estonia in the first round of negotiations.

In seeking to better understand the security aspects of EU integration, this report draws on broad notions of security such as internal and societal security. To what extent will the issue of 'societal security' within the Baltic States have a role in determining the ability of these three former Soviet republics to complete their triple transformation? To what extent has the Soviet legacy played a role in shaping the Baltic societal security agenda? What are the links among the process of Baltic-EU integration, Russia's Baltic policy and the state of societal security in the region? This report addresses those questions from an internal and societal security perspective, taking into account the parameters of EU integration.

The report is linked to TAPRI's ongoing analysis of the European security process and the Baltic Sea region, and reflects the current research interests of the two authors.