The limits of europeanization ‘from without’: is there an eu-driven democratization process in Serbia?

Abstract

The enlargement strategy became an influential tool in promoting the process of Europeanization of the CEES, by providing different mechanisms to the EU in order to influence the democratization outcomes of the new formed states. The process of “Europeanization from the outside” endows EU institutions with important power which attracts the states that are seeking democratic changes. As a method of “Europeanization from without”, the conditionality principle offered a great opportunity of spreading democratic values broader across the continent, whilst creating the opportunity to build a common European identity based on shared democratic values. The question in stake is where the limits of this driving force lie and what is the relation between process of Europeanization of an outside state and its path through democratization process? The improvement of the quality of democracy comprises something more than the simple precondition for accession to the EU.