EU democracy promotion in the neighbourhood: from leverage to governance? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Democracy promotion through functional cooperation? The case of the European Neighbourhood Policy
Democratization, 2011
This article explores whether and under what conditions functional sectoral cooperation between the EU and the countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy promotes democratic governance. In an analysis of four countries (Jordan, Moldova, Morocco, and Ukraine) and three fields of cooperation (competition, environment and migration policy), we show that country properties such as the degree of political liberalization, membership aspirations, and geographic region do not explain differences in democratic governance. Rather, sectoral conditions such as the codification of democratic governance rules, the institutionalization of functional cooperation, interdependence, and adoption costs matter most for the success of democratic governance promotion. We further reveal a notable discrepancy between adoption and application of democratic governance in the selected ENP countries that has not been remedied in the first five years of the ENP.
Mapping out democracy promotion in the EU’s external relations
2011
Abstract. As a non-traditional actor on the international stage, the European Union (EU) presents itself as a successful example of peaceful, democratic cooperation between its Member States. Its foreign policy, existing alongside rather than replacing that of the Member States, is not driven by military strength but backed-up with formidable economic clout.
The EU’s Promotion of External Democracy: In Search of the Plot
While the EU has recently upgraded its external democracy promotion policies through a number of different initiatives, there is one challenge that it has not yet addressed: what exactly does it aim to support?This policy brief illustrates that both the conceptualisation of democracy and the means to achieve it remain vague, and explains why this is problematic. It points out the risks that stem from a lack of clear understanding about how human rights, governance, civil society and socio-economic development relate to democratisation.Among a number of recommendations, authors Anne Wetzel and Jan Orbie propose a ‘Green Paper’ debate on this topic that would take into account the views of different stakeholders, including those from the target countries, without neglecting existing international standards and agreements.
From transformation to reality: the role of local context in EU democracy promotion
International Relations, 2013
This brief intervention seeks to offer a critical narrative that goes beyond more established critiques of EU democracy promotion as either polluted with 'non-normative' interests or deficient in its implementation. The concern here is that these critiques not only essentialize the EU's identity as having the potential for being a 'force for good' but also brush over the shifting understanding and role of democracy, as a foreign policy goal -and possibly beyond.
“The transformative power of Europe” beyond enlargement: the EU’s performance in promoting democracy in its neighbourhood, 2017
This paper argues that the European Union's (EU) performance in promoting democracy in its neighbourhood is not only compromised by the lack of a membership perspective but the selective sanctioning of non-compliance with democracy standards caused by conflicting foreign policy objectives. We identify two conditions for the EU's consistent application of democratic conditionality: the absence of a stabilitydemocratisation dilemma and the presence of pro-democratic reform coalitions. If neither of these conditions is present, the EU is more likely to act as a status-quo than a transformative power prioritising (authoritarian) stability over uncertain (democratic) change.
Chapter 8 Unintended Consequences of EU Democracy Support in the European Neighbourhood
Taylor & Francis eBooks, 2019
The European Union's (EU) impact on the political governance of the European neighbourhood is varied and sometimes opposite to the declared objectives of its democracy support policies. The democracy promotion literature has to a large extent neglected the unintended consequences of EU democracy support in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. The EU has left multiple imprints on the political trajectories of the countries in the neighbourhood and yet the dominant explanation, highlighting the EU's security and economic interests in the two regions, cannot fully account for the unintended consequences of its policies. The literature on the 'pathologies' of international organisations offers an explanation, emphasizing the failures of the EU bureaucracy to anticipate, prevent or reverse the undesired effects of its democracy support in the neighbourhood.
Unintended Consequences of EU Democracy Support in the European Neighbourhood
The International Spectator
The European Union's (EU) impact on the political governance of the European neighbourhood is varied and sometimes opposite to the declared objectives of its democracy support policies. The democracy promotion literature has to a large extent neglected the unintended consequences of EU democracy support in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa. The EU has left multiple imprints on the political trajectories of the countries in the neighbourhood and yet the dominant explanation, highlighting the EU's security and economic interests in the two regions, cannot fully account for the unintended consequences of its policies. The literature on the 'pathologies' of international organisations offers an explanation, emphasizing the failures of the EU bureaucracy to anticipate, prevent or reverse the undesired effects of its democracy support in the neighbourhood.