DISINFO: The EU intentionally destroyed economies of the Baltic states
SUMMARY
The Baltic states are facing demographic catastrophe because its youth emigrated. This happened as a result of the EU’s deliberate destruction of the Baltic states’ economies.
RESPONSE
This is a conspiracy theory and propagandistic claim aimed at discrediting the EU and its economic policies and to ridicule the Baltic states by exacerbating the demographic decline that they face. In fact, many other eastern European countries experience a population decline, including Russia.
Economies of the Baltic states during their EU membership grew at a much higher rate than Eurozone economies. Although the GDP per capita in the Baltic states remains below the EU average, it has been rapidly approaching the average. For instance, this indicator for Estonia stood at 54% when the country joined the EU and increased to 77% by 2017. The economic situation of all three Baltic states is rather positive and demonstrates one of the leading economic growth indicators in the EU. The dynamics within the last years can be seen here.
Although Lithuania did encounter large emigration flows, the trend is slowly reversing with an increasing number of Lithuanians coming back. A similar trend is observed in Latvia. However, the trend is absolutely the opposite in Estonia, where already for the third year in a row in 2018, immigration exceeds emigration.
Read earlier disinformation cases alleging that the Baltic states are dying because they chose not to be with Russia, that Lithuania will be depopulated in 20 years.