State continuity of the Baltic states 1941–1944, Estonia remained occupied by the Soviet Union until its restoration of independence in 1991. Accordingly, Estonia as a state was temporarily prevented from fulfilling its international commitments. The court's rulings appear favorable to several aspects, which are important with regard to restoration of the Baltic states including the legal continuity doctrine. The rulings confirmed that the USSR committed crimes in the illegally occupied Baltic states such as Soviet deportations from Estonia and, in case Tatjana Ždanoka vs Latvia, drew parallels between legal treatment of the German Waffen SS and hardline elements of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Baltic Way (mathematical contest) circulates among the regular participants. Baltic Way (mathematical contest) Originally, the three Baltic states participated, but the list of invitees has since grown to include all countries around the Baltic Sea; Germany sends a team representing only its northernmost parts, and Russia a team from St. Petersburg. Iceland is invited on grounds of being the first state to recognize the newfound independence of the Baltic states. Extra "guest" teams are occasionally invited at the discretion of the organizers: Israel was invited in 2001, Belarus in 2004 and 2014, Belgium in 2005, South Africa in 2011 and the Netherlands in 2015.