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EuropeanisationintheEUNewMemberStates.AspectsandResearchAgendas
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Thearticlesconstitutingthefirstpartofthevolumecriticallyevaluatetheimpact
oftheEUondevelopmentandsustainabilityofdemocracyintheregioninthepre-
andpost-accessionperiod.Theyproblematisethelink,habituallytakenforgranted,
betweenEuropeanintegrationanddemocratisation.Theshortcommentarytothis
partofthevolumeiswrittenbyChristopherLord,whoputsthecasestudiespresent-
edinthearticlesintothewidercontextofdiscussionsontheproblemofdemocratic
auditingandmeasuringthequalityofdemocracyaswellasthedemocraticcharacter
oftheEU.Lordalsoraisesthequestionoftheinterdependencebetweenthedemocra-
cyofthememberstatesandtheEU.Thereseemtobeagreementbetweentheauthors
contributingtothispartofthebookthattheprocessofEuropeanintegrationcontribu-
tedimmenselytothedevelopmentofdemocracyintheregion.Theconditionality
mechanismandrequirementtointroduceacquiscommunautaireintoastate’slegal
systemservedasapowerfulincentiveforchange.However,inthelightofthereturn
ofnationalisticandpopulistpoliticsintheregion,moreprofoundanalysessuggest
thatthewaytheaccessionnegotiationsandadjustmentsweredoneinpracticecould
indirectlycontributetounderminingconsolidationofdemocracyinthenewmember
states.Thearticlestacklingthisissueapproachtheproblemfromdifferentperspec-
tivesandfocusondistinctiveareas.GrzegorzEkiertassessestheimpactoftheEU
integrationontheprocessofdemocratisationbycomparingthecountrieswhichhave
becomememberstatesandthosewhichhavenot.Theempiricaldatasuggestthatthe
accessionprocesssignificantlycontributedtodemocracyconsolidationinthecandi-
datecountriesaswellastothebuildingofthefreemarketeconomy.However,Ekiert
showsthatthecharacterandspeedoftheaccessionprocessaswellasthewaythe
EUmembershiprequirementswereadoptedposeseveraldilemmastothelong-term
developmentandqualityofthosedemocracies.
DarinaMalováandBranislavDolný’scontributionalsofocusesontheaccession
process,pointingtotheshortcomingsinthewaythenegotiationswereheld.They
pointoutthatthesenegotiationsprioritisedthegovernment’saccountabilitytointerna-
tionalorganisationsovertheiraccountabilitytowardstheirownconstituencies,which
asaresultconstrainedpublicdebateonthealternativesandstrengthenedtheposition
oftheelitesdirectlyinvolvedinthenegotiations.Undoubtedly,theaccession,through
conditionality,promoteddemocraticinstitutions,stabilisedthehorizontaldivisionof
powers,ruleoflawandhumanandminorityrightsprotection.However,itneglected
orevenconstrainedthedevelopmentofparticipatory/orpopulardemocracy.
ThelimitationsofdemocratisationthroughEuropeanintegrationarefurtherdis-
cussedinNicoleGallina’sarticle.Thisfocusesonthepost-accessionperiodand
pointstothediscrepancybetweenstabledemocraticinstitutionsandpoliticalactors
whosebehaviourisincompatiblewiththeconsensualcharacterofthoseinstitutions.
Gallina’sresearchshowsthatpoliticalelitebehaviourinCentralandEasternEurope-
ancountries,confrontationalandhierarchicalincharacter,mayendangersustainabil-
ityofdemocracyandcontributetothe"negativeEuropeanisation”oftheircountries.
JacquesRupnik’sarticlealsoconcentratesonthepost-accessionperiod,explor-
ingthebacklashagainstdemocracyobservedinthecountriesofCentralandEastern
Europe.Rupnikinterpretsthesedevelopmentsasachallengetothelinearorprogres-