The Reluctant Debutante: the EU as Promoter of Democracy in its Neighbourhood
The Reluctant Debutante: the EU as Promoter of Democracy in its Neighbourhood

Author(s): Michael Emerson, Senem Aydin, Gergana Noutcheva, Natalie Tocci, Marius Vahl, Richard Youngs
Subject(s): Governance, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Electoral systems
Published by: CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies
Keywords: EU as Exporter of Democratic Values;
Summary/Abstract: The role of the European Union in the promotion of democracy in its wider neighbourhood can be assessed at different levels, from the broad sweep of the history of Europe through the centuries, to the contemporary history of the European Union as a set of norms, values and institutions, and finally down to the technicalities of democracy promotion programmes. The substance of the EU’s role is bound up with the paradigm of ‘Europeanisation’, which has a strong normative democratic content, and at the same time relates to the empowerment of the EU institutions. There are certainly inhibitions in the system holding the EU back from playing this role, which come from particular sensitivities of individual member states. These reflect a whole collection of syndromes, ranging from different proximities and historical experiences in relation to the various neighbours, to different European visions and world views. The divergences represented by these syndromes sometimes make it difficult or impossible for the EU institutions to pursue active foreign policies, including democracy promotion.

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