Peculiarities of the transformation of the political systems of the Baltic countries within the EU

Abstract

The article considers the problems of transformation of the political systems of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in the conditions of integration into the European Community. The peculiarities of the "single political space" of the Baltic States, which was formed after the collapse of the USSR, are studied.

The collapse of the USSR and the gradual enlargement of the European Union are the factors that influenced the formation and development of the political systems of the Baltic states. Determining the peculiarities of the democratic transit of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as the formation of a single political space by these states, remains an important object of political science research. The topic of the article is also of practical importance, as the experience of the Baltic States in carrying out structural political reforms, in the consistent adaptation of political institutions to the models of EU states, can be used in
conducting comprehensive state and legal reform in Ukraine.

The key concept of political change in post-communist states is the concept of democratic transit - the transition from authoritarianism to democracy. The stages of democratic transit common to many countries are as follows. The first is the crisis of the authoritarian regime and its liberalization. The crisis of a dictatorship can have both domestic and foreign policy causes. The weakening or loss of legitimacy of the regime is an important component of the political crisis. The decline in legitimacy occurs not only at the level of the general population, but also at the level of elites. At this stage, open opposition to
the regime is formed, which leads to the creation of a competitive political environment. The second stage is the establishment of democracy. The main process at this stage is the institutionalization of democratic mechanisms of state power.