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European Neighbourhood Policy pp 71–91Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Democratizing EU Democracy Assistance? The EU’s Perspective on Civil Society

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Part of the book series: New Geographies of Europe ((NGE))

Abstract

A year after the uprisings of 2011 in North Africa, the European Commission (henceforth ‘the Commission’) proposed a new strategy for its cooperation with civil society in its external relations. In the first EU document on foreign policy that describes civil society as ‘an asset in itself’, the Commission states: ‘An empowered civil society is a crucial component of any democratic system and is an asset in itself. It represents and fosters pluralism and can contribute to more effective policies, equitable and sustainable development and inclusive growth’ (European Commission, 2012a, p. 3).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Although some of the policy changes affect the EU’s worldwide engagement in democracy assistance, for matters of feasibility I confine my analysis to the eastern and southern neighborhood.

  2. 2.

    This research is based on my PhD project in which I analyze concepts of democracy in EU democracy assistance and the World Social Forum. For the research presented here, nine interviews were conducted in Brussels in March 2014 with EU officials and representatives of CSOs.

  3. 3.

    Spain, Greece and Portugal are often cited as examples of an elite-driven democratization process.

  4. 4.

    The resurgence of civil society in Eastern Europe and Latin America in the 1980s serves as an example here.

  5. 5.

    For matters of clarity, I focus on the Commission leaving aside the other branches of the EU.

  6. 6.

    The Commission’s concept of European governance comprises five principles: openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence (European Commission, 2001).

  7. 7.

    As one EU official put it: ‘Here, for example, if we want to consult with the civil society on our regional strategy for the coming years for the Southern Mediterranean, we can go to CONCORD, we can discuss with them. We know that […], they are representing millions of citizens of the EU. So their opinions, their comments can easily be integrated into our documents’ (Interview with EuropeAid official 01, Brussels, 2014).

  8. 8.

    The EaP comprises Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

  9. 9.

    The project itself is not funded by the EU but, rather, by the Open Society Foundations.

  10. 10.

    In sum, four interview partners explicitly signaled that a serious policy shift was under way as described here.

  11. 11.

    The EIDHR, for example, is not allowed to consult CSOs individually for reasons of equal treatment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany

    Micha Fiedlschuster

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  1. Micha Fiedlschuster
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig, Germany

    Bettina Bruns

  2. Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig, Germany

    Dorit Happ

  3. Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig, Germany

    Helga Zichner

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Fiedlschuster, M. (2016). Democratizing EU Democracy Assistance? The EU’s Perspective on Civil Society. In: Bruns, B., Happ, D., Zichner, H. (eds) European Neighbourhood Policy. New Geographies of Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-69504-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-69504-1_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-48565-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-69504-1

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