Airstrip One

Pioneers in Withdrawal - 4th March 2003, 20.15

As in many areas of policy these days, the Baltic and Central European nations are pioneering new approaches to the European Union. As their recent history is one of independence from a mulitinational empire, they treat similar agglomerations with a healthy level of scepticism. Both Estonia and Latvia (which I heartily recommend for a visit) are writing new clauses in their constitution that will enshrine the right to withdraw after a referendum.

Solvita Mellupe, the chairwoman of the Latvian parliamentary committee on legal affairs, told RFE/RL that parliament is mulling constitutional changes that would not only make passage of a referendum on EU membership easier but that would also make it easier, in theory, for Latvia to leave the EU through a similar referendum. "The constitutional changes are made not only because of the referendum [on EU membership]. Joining the EU is not as simple as just voting in the referendum. There should be inserted into [the constitution] mechanisms to ensure that [if Latvia is unhappy in the EU], the reverse decisions [are possible]. For instance, Latvia happens to want to leave the EU, there will be mechanisms [in the constitution] allowing such a step to be taken. The changes in the constitution will allow Latvia to leave the EU [as easily as it enters it]," Mellupe said.

To accommodate the theoretical right of nations to secede, the European Convention will be setting out the procedure in Article 46 of the Constitution, following the relevant discussion in April 2003. Latvia, as always, treasures liberty and honesty wisely as a visit to the War Museum in Riga will attest.