Democracy assistance policies of the European Union in the Balkans and the backsliding of democracy: The case of Albania

Year 2024, , 1 - 23

Jonilda Rrapaj Kolasi

https://doi.org/10.33630/ausbf.1319620

Abstract

Why is there a reverse development with widespread expectations about democratization in the Balkans, despite the European Union's (EU) policies of democracy assistance? Existing literature suggests that the EU's enlargement policy supports the democratization process in the Balkans, but the outcome of the EU's democracy assistance policies is determined by the internal characteristics of the countries in the region. However, recent research has drawn attention to the limitations of the EU's democracy assistance policies. Drawing on a critical political-economy perspective, the article examines how the EU's democracy assistance policies affected the democratization process in the Albanian case. This article argues that the EU's democracy assistance policies in the Balkans are constrained by the neoliberal model it promotes in the region. Based on the assumption that the neoliberal accumulation strategy supported by the EU restricts the democratization process, the article demonstrates how the state-society-market relationship in Albania is shaped by the neoliberal priorities of international institutions and actors. The article concludes that the democracy assistance provided by the EU within the framework of its enlargement policies is limited to the implementation of the neoliberal model and that the ideology of Europeanization serves to naturalize the neoliberal accumulation strategy.

Keywords

Neoliberalism, Democratization, EU’s democracy assistance policies, Europeanisation, Albania

Balkanlarda Avrupa Birliği’nin Demokrasi Teşviki Politikalarının Sınırlılıkları: Yakınsama ve Yol Ayrımı Arasında Arnavutluk

Abstract

Avrupa Birliği'nin (AB) demokrasi yardımı politikalarına rağmen, Balkanlar'da demokratikleşmeye ilişkin yaygın beklentilerin tersine bir gelişme yaşanmasının nedeni nedir? Mevcut literatürde AB’nin genişleme politikasının Balkanlar’daki demokratikleşme sürecini desteklediği, ancak AB’nin demokrasi yardımı politikalarının sonucunun, bölgede ülkelerinin iç özellikleri tarafından belirlendiği görüşü öne çıkmaktadır. Bununla beraber son araştırmalar AB’nin demokrasi yardımı politikalarının sınırlılıklarına dikkat çekmişlerdir. Bu makale, Arnavutluk gibi literatürde ihmal edilmiş bir örneğe odaklanarak bu eleştirel literatüre katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Makale, eleştirel ekonomi politik bir bakışla AB'nin demokrasiye yardım politikalarının Arnavutluk örneğinde demokratikleşme sürecini nasıl etkilediğini incelemektedir. Makalenin temel savı, AB’nin Balkanlar’daki demokrasi yardım politikalarının, bölgede teşvik ettiği neoliberal model tarafından kısıtlandığıdır. Makale, AB’nin desteklediği neoliberal birikim stratejisinin demokratikleşme sürecini kısıtladığı varsayımdan hareketle, Arnavutluk’taki devlet-toplum-piyasa ilişkisinin, uluslararası kurum ve aktörlerin neoliberal öncelikleri kapsamında nasıl şekillendirildiğini göstermektedir. Makale, AB’nin genişleme politikaları çerçevesinde yaptığı demokrasi yardımının neoliberal modelin uygulanmasıyla sınırlı olduğu ve Avrupalılaşma ideolojisinin neoliberal birikim stratejisinin doğallaştırılmasına hizmet ettiği sonucuna ulaşmaktadır.

Keywords

Neoliberalizm, Demokratikleşme, AB’nin Demokrasi yardımı politikaları, Avrupalılaşma, Arnavutluk

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