Political criteria for accession to the EU : human rights conditionality and the Croatian case

Yıl 2013, Cilt: 68 Sayı: 03, 165 - 190, 01.03.2013

Sezen Uğurlu

https://doi.org/10.1501/SBFder_0000002291

Cited By: 1

Öz

In 1993, the European Union (EU) member states established the Copenhagen Criteria, which define political, economic and legal (adoption of acquis) conditions for accession to the Union. The Central and Eastern European (CEE) Countries were the first candidates whose applications were considered with respect to their compliance with these criteria. In this article the political criteria, specifically the human rights conditionality which is scrutinized under the political pillar, is analyzed. Since 2004, the year that the CEE countries joined the EU, an emphasis on a ‘stricter’ political conditionality has been made by the European officials and institutions. The objective of this article is to discover how the changes in the EU’s approach to political conditionality after 2004 have had an impact upon the human rights conditionality. For this purpose, the Croatian case and the way the EU applied conditionality to this country is examined, and it is concluded that despite some indicators of change, the stricter political conditionality does not have strong reflections on the human rights conditionality in the Croatian accession process.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Copenhagen Criteria, Stricter Political Conditionality, Human Rights Conditions, Western Balkan Enlargement, Human Rights in Croatia

AB’ye Katılım için Siyasi Kriterler: İnsan Hakları Koşulu ve Hırvatistan Örneği

Öz

1993 yılında Avrupa Birliği (AB) üye ülkeleri Birlik’e katılım için siyasi, ekonomik ve hukuksal (müktesebata uyum) koşulları tanımlayan Kopenhag Kriterleri’ni belirlediler. Merkezi ve Doğu Avrupa (MDA) ülkeleri, başvuruları bu kriterleri sağlamalarına ilişkin olarak değerlendirilen ilk adaylar oldular. Bu makalede, siyasi kriterler ve özellikle de siyasi sütunun altında incelenen insan hakları koşulu analiz edilmiştir. 2004 yılından beri, yani MDA ülkelerinin AB’ye katıldığı yıldan beri, AB yetkilileri ve kurumları daha sıkı bir siyasi şartlılığa vurgu yapmaktadır. Bu makalenin amacı 2004’ten sonra AB’nin siyasi şartlılığa yaklaşımındaki değişikliklerin insan hakları koşulları üzerinde nasıl bir etkisi olduğunu bulmaktır. Bu amaçla, Hırvatistan örneği ve AB’nin bu ülkeye uyguladığı koşulluluk incelenmiş ve bazı değişiklik göstergeleri olmasına rağmen Hırvatistan’ın katılım sürecinde katı siyasi koşulluluğun insan hakları koşulluluğu üzerinde güçlü yansımaları olmadığı sonucuna varılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kopenhag Kriterleri, Katı Siyasi Koşulluluk, İnsan Hakları Koşulları, Batı Balkanlar Genişlemesi, Hırvatistan’da İnsan Hakları

Kaynakça

• Amnesty International (2012), Annual Report 2012 The State of the World’s Human Rights. Croatia, http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/croatia/report-2012 (09.06.2010)
• Anastakis, Othon (2008), “The EU’s political conditionality in the Western Balkans: Towards a more pragmatic approach,” Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 8 (4): 365-377
• Blitz, Brad K. (2007), “Democratic Development, Judicial Reform and the Serbian Question in Croatia”, Human Rights Rev., 9: 123- 135
• Bojinović, Ana and Petra Roter (2005), “Croatia and the European Union: A Troubled Relationship”, Mediterranean Politics, 10 (3): 447-454
• Braniff, Máire (2011), Integrating the Balkans. Conflict Resolution and the Impact of EU Expansion, (NY: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd.)
• Caratan, Branko (2009), “The European Union, South-Eastern Europe and the Europeanization of Croatia,” Politička Misao, 46 (5): 171-180
• Cierco, Teresa Maria (2011), “Human Rights Promotion in Serbia: a difficult task for the European Union,” Rev. Bras. Polít. Int., 54 (1): 142,158
• EC (2005a), 2005 Enlargement Strategy Paper (Brussels)
• EC (2005b), Croatia 2005 Progress Report (Brussels)
• EC (2006), Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2006-2007 (Brussels)
• EC (2008), Croatia 2008 Progress Report (Brussels)
• EC (2010), Human Rights and Democracy in the World: Report on EU Action July 2008 to December 2009 (Brussels)
• EC (2011a), Croatia 2011 Progress Report (Brussels)
• EC (2011b), Enlargement Strategy and Main Challenges 2011-2012 (Brussels)
• EC (2012a), http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/policy/steps-towards-joining/index_en.htm (2012)
• EC (2012b), Monitoring report on Croatia’s accession preparations (Brussels)
• European Council (1970), Davignon Report (Luxembourg)
• European Council (1973), Declaration on European Identity (Copenhagen)
• European Council (1978), Declaration on Democracy (Copenhagen)
• European Council (2003a), European Security Strategy (Brussels)
• European Council (2003b), General Affairs and External Relations (Luxembourg)
• European Council (2008), Council Decision of 12 February 2008 on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with Croatia and repealing Decision 2006/145/EC
• European Parliament (EP) (2005), Resolution on the Commission’s 2005 enlargement stategy paper
• European Union (EU) (2010a), http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/enlargement/western_ balkans/r18003_en.htm (12.06.2012)
• EU (2010b), http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-10-525_en.htm#PR_metaPress Release_bottom (10.06.2012)
• EU (2011a), http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/11/397&type= HTML (10.06.2012)
• EU (2011b), http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-11-679_en.htm#PR_metaPress Release_bottom (10.06.2012)
• Grabbe, Heather (2006), The EU’s Transformative Power Europeanization through Conditionality in Central and Eastern Europe (NY: Palgrave Macmillan)
• Grigić, Boris (2006), “Croatia’s point of view on the European Perspectives of the Balkans,” http://www.westernbalkans.info/upload/docs/3b_Croatia_Pointof_View_Boris_Grigic.pdf (2012)
• Human Rights Watch (2012), Croatia (Country Summary), http://www.hrw.org/world-report2012/world-report-2012-croatia (09.06.2010)
• Jović, Dejan (2006), “Croatia and the European Union: A Long Delayed Journey,” Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, 8 (1): 85-103
• Minority Rights Group International (2008), Pushing for Change? South East Europe’s