(R)Evolution of the Lithuanian Political Elite’s Attitudes Towards the EU (2004-2014)

In this paper, based on longitudinal data (2004-2014) from surveys of the Lithuanian parliamentary elites we explore the effects of time (length of the Lithuanian EU membership), of nationally dominant currents of political ideologies, of political socialization (elite’s transnational networking) and of experiences of the 2008 financial-economic crisis on elite’s attitudes towards the EU.  In particular, we focus on elite’s visions on how in future the EU should be governed. We measure changes in Lithuanian elite’s support for the intergovernmental versus supranational EU governance and connect the observed trends to the geopolitical context of Lithuania, neighboring the East of the EU.