Democracy Promotion in the European Union’s Approach towards the Eastern Neighbours

Abstract

The European Union approaches its Eastern neighbours that it became direct neighbours with the 2004 enlargement within the frameworks of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership Initiative. The European Union by aiming approximation of its neighbours with the Union norms, values and standards allocates a special place to promoting democracy within the context of these policies. The aim of this study is to identify the European Union’s emphasis on democracy promotion in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, that it defines as the Eastern neighbours and to identify the challenges to its normative power in the Eastern neighbourhood. Within the scope of the European Union’s democracy promotion in its relations with the Eastern neighbours, official documents on the European Union’s institutional policies towards its Eastern neighbours and the bilateral documents with the six countries participating at the Eastern Partnership are used as primary sources; and the prominent publications in the literature are used as secondary sources. It is inferred that the European Union’s democracy promotion cannot be dissociated from its security approaches and it addresses its Eastern neighbours within the security context. the European Union’s interests especially for its secured access to energy sources and Russia’s influence in the Eastern Partnership countries are determinant in the European Union’s democracy promotion. However, this study argues that the domestic contexts and the ambitions and wills of the third countries to realise the political reforms are determining factors for the European Union’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness in the region.

Keywords

• European Union,European Neighbourhood Policy,Democracy Promotion

Avrupa Birliği’nin Doğu Komşularına Yönelik Yaklaşımında Demokrasi Teşviki

Abstract

Avrupa Birliği, 2004 genişlemesi ile doğrudan komşu olduğu Doğu komşuları ile ilişkilerini Avrupa Komşuluk Politikası ve Doğu Ortaklığı Girişimi kapsamında ele almaktadır. Komşularının Birlik norm, değer ve standartları ile yakınlaşmalarını amaçlayan Avrupa Birliği; bu politikalar kapsamında demokrasinin teşvik edilmesine özel bir yer ayırmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Avrupa Birliği’nin Doğu komşuları olarak tanımladığı Azerbaycan, Belarus, Ermenistan, Gürcistan, Moldova ve Ukrayna ile ilişkilerinde demokrasi teşvikine verdiği önem ile Doğu komşularında normatif bir güç olmasının önündeki engelleri tespit etmektir. Avrupa Birliği’nin Doğu komşuları ile ilişkilerinde demokrasi teşviki kapsamında, birincil kaynak olarak Avrupa Birliği’nin kurumsal olarak geliştirdiği politikalar ili ilgili belgeler, Doğu Ortaklığı Girişimi’nde yer alan altı ülke ile imzaladığı resmî belgeler ve ikincil kaynak olarak literatürde öne çıkan çalışmalar kullanılmaktadır. Avrupa Birliği’nin demokrasi teşvikinin güvenlik yaklaşımından ayrı düşünülemeyeceği ve Doğu komşularına yönelik yaklaşımlarını güvenlik bağlamında ele aldığı görülmektedir. Avrupa Birliği’nin demokrasi teşvikinde Avrupa Birliği’nin özellikle enerji kaynaklarına güvenli ulaşımı çerçevesindeki çıkarları ve Rusya’nın Doğu Ortaklığı ülkelerinde sahip olduğu nüfuz belirleyici bir rol oynamaktadır. Ancak, çalışmada Avrupa Birliği’nin bölgedeki etkisini ya da etkisizliğini açıklamada üçüncü ülkelerin iç bağlamları ile siyasi reformları gerçekleştirme istek ve iradelerinin belirleyici unsur olduğu savunulmaktadır.

Keywords

• Avrupa Birliği,Avrupa Komşuluk Politikası,Demokrasi Teşviki

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