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January 6, 2015 Tuesday 10:33 AM GMT
[Opinion] Eastern partnership countries: Democracy in limbo
As we enter 2015 it is worth taking another look at the political
developments in the EU's neighbourhood.
A glance shows us that democracy progress in the Eastern Partnership
countries EURO " Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Belarus EURO " has been uneven.
There are big differences between the six countries, although they are
governed by the same EU policy EURO " the Eastern Partnership Initiative.
Nevertheless, looking at the trends in the past years, it seems the
countries of the region can be divided into two groups.
Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine - which signed Association Agreements
with the EU last summer - show higher standards of democracy than the
other three countries; Armenia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.
Moldova
In the past years Moldova has clearly been the frontrunner, showing
higher standards of conduct of elections, political freedoms and human
rights. It tops the latest European Integration Index for Eastern
Partnership countries.
The pro-European coalitions that have been running Moldova since 2009
demonstrated political will to reform and have achieved a lot.
In the recent parliamentary elections, the pro-European parties again
won a majority, though the vote was close this time.
Moldova was also the first country in the region to adopt
anti-discrimination legislation in line with EU requirements. It also
made significant progress in fighting corruption and reforming the
judiciary.
Georgia
Georgian political elites have also demonstrated willingness to
integrate with the EU. Despite significant democracy shortcomings
during Mikhail Saakashvili EURO (tm)s presidency, the country implemented
certain reforms successfully and has begun to tackle corruption and to
reform the judiciary and the public service.
The pro-European coalition that has been in power since 2011 is
continuing this course despite the most recent internal turmoil.
In the latest edition of the Bertelsmann Stiftung EURO (tm)s Transformation
Index (BTI), which analyses transformation processes towards democracy
and a market economy in 129 developing and transition countries,
Georgia made the largest gains in political transformation in the
Eurasian region since 2011.
Ukraine
Ukraine, however, has been rocked by turbulence in recent years. The
inability of the EURO ~Orange EURO (tm) political elites to institutionalise
democratic achievements led to the consolidation of authoritarian
trends during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and
2014.
It was only due to the Euromaidan protests that that opportunities for
reform arose.
In October 2014 Ukraine managed to hold free and fair elections. Yet
it remains a highly dysfunctional state which has to overcome
corruption and promote the rule of law.
Armenia
In 2008, Armenia saw a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests against
alleged electoral fraud yet it has since seen an improvement both in
the conduct of elections and media freedom.
The country also managed to make some progress on reforming the
judiciary, fighting corruption and improving public administration.
Armenia actively pursued rapprochement with Brussels until September
2013 when President Serzh Sargsyan announced that closer ties with the
EU was no longer on his agenda.
In October last year, Armenia became a member of the Eurasian Economic
Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijan and Belarus
Azerbaijan and Belarus remain highly authoritarian states where human
rights and political freedoms are suppressed.
According to some estimates, there are around 142 political prisoners
in Azerbaijan yet its position as an exporter of oil and gas allows
the country to ignore criticism coming from the West.
While Belarus is subject to EU sanctions, Azerbaijan enjoys extensive
cooperation with the EU in the field of energy.
Azerbaijan negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU but then
dropped the idea and proposed an alternative strategic modernisation
partnership. Brussels EURO (tm) leverage in both countries is limited and the
prospects of democratisation remain gloomy.
Civic engagement
Political will and a strong civil society combined with pro-EU public
opinion appear to be key factors for successful democratisation.
Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine serve as good examples.
Where the survival of the regime is at stake, however, democracy has
no chance of succeeding. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia and Ukraine
during the Yanukovych presidency demonstrate this very clearly.
The political elites in these countries have sustained their power
through clientelistic networks, corruption, and elimination of
political freedoms. Liberalisation of the political environment would
undermine the pillars that uphold the regime.
Only a strong push from within such a system can challenge it.
Eastern partnership countries and democracy
There is also an interesting relationship between the Association
Agreements (AAs) with the EU and the state of democracy in the Eastern
Partnership countries.
Commitment to European integration and the political will to implement
reforms seem to go hand-in-hand. The AAs serve both to recognise the
reforms that have taken place in some of the eastern neighbourhood
countries, and as a tool to push for further change.
Georgia, Moldova and post-Euromaidan Ukraine have taken this path.
>From this perspective the gap between the three countries that have
signed the AAs and the other three, which have opted for other
arrangements, might grow over time.
Iryna Solonenko is a DAAD/Open Society Foundations Scholar at the
European University Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder. She is also part of the
Bertelsmann Stiftung EURO (tm)s Transformation Thinkers network.
January 6, 2015 Tuesday 10:33 AM GMT
[Opinion] Eastern partnership countries: Democracy in limbo
As we enter 2015 it is worth taking another look at the political
developments in the EU's neighbourhood.
A glance shows us that democracy progress in the Eastern Partnership
countries EURO " Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Belarus EURO " has been uneven.
There are big differences between the six countries, although they are
governed by the same EU policy EURO " the Eastern Partnership Initiative.
Nevertheless, looking at the trends in the past years, it seems the
countries of the region can be divided into two groups.
Moldova, Georgia, and Ukraine - which signed Association Agreements
with the EU last summer - show higher standards of democracy than the
other three countries; Armenia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.
Moldova
In the past years Moldova has clearly been the frontrunner, showing
higher standards of conduct of elections, political freedoms and human
rights. It tops the latest European Integration Index for Eastern
Partnership countries.
The pro-European coalitions that have been running Moldova since 2009
demonstrated political will to reform and have achieved a lot.
In the recent parliamentary elections, the pro-European parties again
won a majority, though the vote was close this time.
Moldova was also the first country in the region to adopt
anti-discrimination legislation in line with EU requirements. It also
made significant progress in fighting corruption and reforming the
judiciary.
Georgia
Georgian political elites have also demonstrated willingness to
integrate with the EU. Despite significant democracy shortcomings
during Mikhail Saakashvili EURO (tm)s presidency, the country implemented
certain reforms successfully and has begun to tackle corruption and to
reform the judiciary and the public service.
The pro-European coalition that has been in power since 2011 is
continuing this course despite the most recent internal turmoil.
In the latest edition of the Bertelsmann Stiftung EURO (tm)s Transformation
Index (BTI), which analyses transformation processes towards democracy
and a market economy in 129 developing and transition countries,
Georgia made the largest gains in political transformation in the
Eurasian region since 2011.
Ukraine
Ukraine, however, has been rocked by turbulence in recent years. The
inability of the EURO ~Orange EURO (tm) political elites to institutionalise
democratic achievements led to the consolidation of authoritarian
trends during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 and
2014.
It was only due to the Euromaidan protests that that opportunities for
reform arose.
In October 2014 Ukraine managed to hold free and fair elections. Yet
it remains a highly dysfunctional state which has to overcome
corruption and promote the rule of law.
Armenia
In 2008, Armenia saw a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests against
alleged electoral fraud yet it has since seen an improvement both in
the conduct of elections and media freedom.
The country also managed to make some progress on reforming the
judiciary, fighting corruption and improving public administration.
Armenia actively pursued rapprochement with Brussels until September
2013 when President Serzh Sargsyan announced that closer ties with the
EU was no longer on his agenda.
In October last year, Armenia became a member of the Eurasian Economic
Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijan and Belarus
Azerbaijan and Belarus remain highly authoritarian states where human
rights and political freedoms are suppressed.
According to some estimates, there are around 142 political prisoners
in Azerbaijan yet its position as an exporter of oil and gas allows
the country to ignore criticism coming from the West.
While Belarus is subject to EU sanctions, Azerbaijan enjoys extensive
cooperation with the EU in the field of energy.
Azerbaijan negotiated an Association Agreement with the EU but then
dropped the idea and proposed an alternative strategic modernisation
partnership. Brussels EURO (tm) leverage in both countries is limited and the
prospects of democratisation remain gloomy.
Civic engagement
Political will and a strong civil society combined with pro-EU public
opinion appear to be key factors for successful democratisation.
Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine serve as good examples.
Where the survival of the regime is at stake, however, democracy has
no chance of succeeding. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia and Ukraine
during the Yanukovych presidency demonstrate this very clearly.
The political elites in these countries have sustained their power
through clientelistic networks, corruption, and elimination of
political freedoms. Liberalisation of the political environment would
undermine the pillars that uphold the regime.
Only a strong push from within such a system can challenge it.
Eastern partnership countries and democracy
There is also an interesting relationship between the Association
Agreements (AAs) with the EU and the state of democracy in the Eastern
Partnership countries.
Commitment to European integration and the political will to implement
reforms seem to go hand-in-hand. The AAs serve both to recognise the
reforms that have taken place in some of the eastern neighbourhood
countries, and as a tool to push for further change.
Georgia, Moldova and post-Euromaidan Ukraine have taken this path.
>From this perspective the gap between the three countries that have
signed the AAs and the other three, which have opted for other
arrangements, might grow over time.
Iryna Solonenko is a DAAD/Open Society Foundations Scholar at the
European University Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder. She is also part of the
Bertelsmann Stiftung EURO (tm)s Transformation Thinkers network.