Europeanization through norm promotion by the Council of Europe in the case of Ukraine
Europeanization through norm promotion by the Council of Europe in the case of Ukraine

Summary/Abstract: The Council of Europe plays an important role in democracy promotion in the Eastern neighbourhood. As a "changer of norms" the Council of Europe can have an important impact on the rule of law, the approximation of national legislation to the EU legislation, the electoral code and democracy in the Eastern Partnership countries. Ukraine, being a member of the Council of Europe since 1995, has accepted the legally binding mechanisms of the Council in order to adhere to the practices of this international organization in the adaptation of domestic norms to EU rules and standards. Ukraine's absorption capacity however remains limited due to high adoption costs for the country and the non-proactive conditionality mechanisms of the Council of Europe. Such a limited capacity of a country to conform to EU norms represents a challenge for the normative power of the Council of Europe and undermines its role in the promotion of democracy in the Eastern Partnership countries.

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