Council of the Baltic Sea States CBSS

http://www.cbss.org/

The CBSS serves as an overall regional forum for intergovernmental cooperation, focusing on the need for intensified cooperation in virtually every field of government, with the exception of military defence. A link directory is included.

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Linguistic minorities in Estonia: Discrimination must end [December 2006] / Amnesty International

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR51/002/2006

This paper is available in English, Estonian, and Russian. Estonia has a sizeable Russian-speaking linguistic minority which constitutes approximately a third of the population. Persons belonging to this minority enjoy very limited linguistic and minority rights, and find themselves de facto excluded from the labour market and educational system through a system of rigorous language and citizenship requirements for employment and limited possibilities of studying in minority languages in higher education. Such comprehensive and restrictive citizenship requirements for employment both in the public and private sector, together with Estonia's failure to effectively fulfill several linguistic and educational rights, have led to a situation in which there are disproportionately high levels of unemployment among the Russian-speaking linguistic minority. This in turn has further contributed to social exclusion and vulnerability to other human rights abuses. In consequence, many from this group are effectively impeded from the full enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights.

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ASPRI, Advanced Social and Political Research Institute/Faculty of Social Sciences/University of Latvia

http://szf.lu.lv/eng/petnieciba/sppi-instituts/

Democracy and Minorities, particularly issues pertaining to minority rights and social integration, is one of the primary areas of research of ASPRI. Interesting publications on this topic can be found here, as well as publications on international affairs, particularly Latvia's relations with Russia and new European neighbours. Recommended as a starting place for research in these fields.

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Legal Information Centre for Human Rights

http://www.lichr.ee/

This web site is in Estonian, in English, and in Russian. The goal here is to promote constructive dialogue and to enhance the awareness of human rights in Estonian society. Useful links are included.

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Research group on Northern Europe Policy / Forschungsgruppe Nordeuropaiesche Politik/Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin/Nordeuropa-Institut

http://www2.hu-berlin.de/for:n/

Northern Europe and the Baltic countries are increasingly the subject of public discussion. Why is Scandinavia skeptical about European integration? This discussion forum of young academics examines current issues and long-term developments in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

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Division for Peace and Conflict Research/ Institute of Social Sciences / Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel

http://www.frieden.uni-kiel.de/index.php?idart=2

Details on the Finnish-Russian-German cooperation project PROBALT can be found here in German and in English. This project deals with major challenges threatening the marine environment of the Baltic Sea.

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