There is so little information about the EU that people fear the surprises it will bring, Derek Scally finds.
The Freedom Monument in central Riga says a lot about Latvia's attitude to Europe. Around a stone column, one group of statues look west, strong and happy, while the others facing Russia in the east are in chains.
With the dedication "To Fatherland and Freedom", it's small wonder that the 1935 monument was off-limits during the Soviet era. But as Latvia makes its final push to join the EU in 2004, many Latvians are not sure if they feel the same way as their beloved Freedom Monument.
"When you ask people here if they want to be a part of the European Union they just want to know one thing: will their lives be better or worse?" said Mr Edvards Kuners, director of the European Integration Bureau. Latvians have had a rough ride since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Inflation topped 1,000 per cent at one point, and the collapse of the Russian economy in 1998 wiped out many people's entire savings.
Only one-third of Latvians believe the EU will be a good thing for the country, according to a recent poll; another third don't know. Latvia's political parties, all varying hues of centre-right, are all pro-EU but have a "lazy" attitude to spreading information about the EU, according to one Union official.
Like the other Baltic countries, Latvia took Ireland's rejection of the Nice Treaty as a personal snub. But a second rejection may be perceived differently, says Mr Kuners. "A No vote will increase scepticism for sure. It will show Latvians that decisions made in Brussels are not accepted by society, proof of the elitism of the EU structure," he said.
Mr Michael Bourke, president of the Reitumu Bank in Riga and honorary Irish consul, said: "Latvia wants to be Ireland Mark 2 because they see how Ireland has benefited. But Latvia won't hold a No vote against Ireland." He has lived in Riga for a decade and is critical of the cronyism that surrounds the political system.
Every political party is backed by a business interest, and he believes the resulting corruption has damaged the country's development. According to the World Bank, Latvia ranks with Russia and Ukraine as one of the world leaders in state corruption. This problem will become Europe's once Latvia joins the EU, according to Mr Bourke.
"I've seen money come in here from the International Monetary Fund and the EU and just vanish," he said.
The EU accession process has brought into focus Latvia's trickiest historical legacy. Nearly half of the 2.3 million population are not Latvian. There have always been non-Latvians living here, but the Soviet policy of "Russification" increased the number of Russian speakers to the point where, even today, Latvians are a minority in their own capital city.
Under pressure from the EU and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the government changed its citizenship laws that were unattractive to non-citizens in 1998.
NGOs which work with non-citizens hope that EU accession will gradually reduce division between the communities.
"EU membership will be an incentive to become Latvian citizens, because it will entitle them to travel and work in EU member-states," said Mr Nils Muinieks, director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies.
Nevertheless, Latvia's non-citizens will be a unique class of people after EU accession, as they are likely to still require visas to visit other member-states.
Next September the government will put EU accession to a referendum on the same day as its Baltic neighbours. But the new government, to be elected next month, will have work to do to inform people about what the EU will mean to them.
"There is so little information that I think people are afraid of the surprises the EU will bring," said Mr Kaspars Trasns, a 23-year-old student. "But membership will make some good, necessary changes to Latvia that wouldn't have happened on their own."
Like most young people in Latvia, he is considering studying and working in the EU after accession.
With the average annual Latvian salary less than €3,000, Ireland is already a popular destination for young Latvians.
Mr Bourke says he stamps over 2,000 working visas each year, and he believes the traffic to Ireland will increase when Latvia joins the EU.