EU Enlargement and Democracy Progress
EU Enlargement and Democracy Progress

Author(s): Alina Mungiu-Pippidi
Subject(s): Governance, Politics and society, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies
Keywords: EU enlargement; soft power; fake democracy;
Summary/Abstract: The relation between EU accession and democratisation is not a simple one. It is generally considered that the influence of the EU over democratising the neighbouring countries can act through either conditionality or socialisation, or a mixture of the two. Conditionality implies that the EU is phasing assistance, ranging from economic, political and institutional incentives to full membership on the condition that political and economic objectives are met. Socialisation implies that the EU does not pursue a forceful policy, but engages its neighbours in multiple personal and institutional contacts and joint activities, offering a model for successful transformation. In practice, the two processes are closely intertwined, to the extent that in the western Balkans one cannot presently tell them apart.

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