Investigation areas

EUCAM Project


ECFR.eu

Democracy initiatives

FRIDE participates in a number of initiatives that provide information on democracy issues.

   Arab Reform Initiative 



Centre for Studies in Democratisation, University of Warwick


Network of Democracy Research Institutes

Democratisation

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

By Sofia Sebastián (18/09/2008)

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has seen a year of highs and lows, with periods of intense instability and major breakthroughs such as the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) in June 2008.The arrest in July of Radan Karadzic once again shines a spotlight on the fragility of inter-ethnic politics in BiH.The country is now entering a new electoral cycle, with municipal elections on 5 October 2008.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Georgia and Russia: a short war with a long aftermath

By Jos Boonstra (22/08/2008)

What started as a provoked assault by Georgia against the separatist regime of South-Ossetia quickly developed into a short though fierce armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.  As developments continue to unfold regarding the implementation of a peace plan, there are a number of consequences that can be discerned from this rude awakening to war in Europe. These include consequences for Georgia and Russia, but also for the Caucasus region and in a broader context for international actors.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Bosnia and Herzegovina's integration challenge

By Publicaciones FRIDE (31/07/2008)

On 26 June 2008 FRIDE organised a roundtable on “Bosnia and Herzegovina’s integration challenge: From internal consolidation towards EU integration”, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Sven Alkalaj, EU Institute for Security Studies researcher Judy Batt, EU Special Representative advisor Orlando Fusco and BiH’s Centre for Security Studies Director Denis Hadzovic.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Europe's inconsistent support for democratic reform in Ukraine

By Richard Youngs (21/07/2008)

Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
Part of a project on EU foreign policy dynamics, this paper seeks to explain why European governments have backed Ukraine's Orange Revolution in an apparently united, but also relatively cautious fashion.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Playing into the hands of Lukashenka

By Balázs Jarábik (30/06/2008)

In this Policy Brief, written for European Voice, FRIDE Associate Fellow Balázs Jarábik argues that the EU needs a more realistic understanding of Belarus, and policies to match.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

The new enhanced agreement between the European Union and Ukraine: Will it further democratic consolidation?

By Natalia Shapovalova (23/06/2008)

JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images

The New Enhanced Agreement  (NEA) will be a comprehensive and cross-pillar agreement introducing a contractual basis for integration, convergence and cooperation in various fields such as political reforms, rule of law, human rights, border management, migration, the Common Foreign and Security Policy and free trade between Ukraine and the EU. But will this new agreement be sufficient to assist Ukraine’s faltering process of democratic consolidation?

 

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Elections and European Neighbourhood Policy in Armenia

By Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher (06/06/2008)

KAREN MINASYAN/AFP/Getty Images
After the Armenian presidential elections on 19 February 2008, the opposition organised mass demonstrations against the government, accusing it of rigging the vote. Violence on 1 March in which 10 people were killed led the outgoing President, Robert Kocharian, to declare a national state of emergency. This ended on 21 April, 20 days before former Prime Minister, Serge Sarkisian, was proclaimed President of the Armenian Republic. The reaction of the EU in the wake of these events was, at best, somewhat timid, if not weak. The intention of this article is to try to discern if European policies have been coherent with the EU’s democratic rhetoric, or if various geo-strategic considerations have perhaps played a greater role in determining them.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Serbia's 2008 parliamentary elections: domestic and regional dilemmas

By Sofia Sebastián (28/04/2008)

Andrej Isakovic / AFP / Getty Images
Following the fall of the coalition government on March 7 over fundamental disagreements on Serbia’s European future – and only three months after President Tadić defeated radical leader Tomislav Nikolić in the presidential elections – Serbs will be asked again to choose between a pro-European agenda and a nationalist one in the upcoming parliamentary elections on May 11. This commentary examines the domestic and external political dynamics involved in the political campaign as well as the critical dilemmas that both Serbia and the EU will be facing in the aftermath of the elections.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

The democracy promotion policies of Central and Eastern European states

By Laurynas Jonavicius (18/03/2008)

© E. Community
The European Union’s new member states (NMS) from Central and Eastern Europe have quickly made their mark on European foreign policy.
In particular, they have gained some reputation as active supporters of democracy promotion. This paper outlines the factors that account for the NMS’ (still relatively idealistic) attachment to democracy support.
It also attempts to elaborate the differences among the NMS, which are routinely understated.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Ukraine between elections: out of the blue?

By Balázs Jarábik (14/03/2008)

Four months after parliamentary elections Ukraine has seemingly slipped back into business as usual. The opposition is obstructing the work of the parliament, Russia has threatened Ukraine with rockets, and the extremely narrow Orange majority is under strain everyday. The Tymoshenko leadership seems to be pushing the international integration process forward more than any other previous government, however.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Kosovo: the road ahead

By Jos Boonstra (20/02/2008)

Kosovo’s declaration of independence has set Russia and the West at loggerheads once again. While the US and most of Europe have hailed it as a hopeful new beginning, Serbia and Russia insist a Pandora’s Box has been opened that will result in upheaval and unilateral declarations of independence everywhere from the Basque country in Spain to Kurdistan in Iraq.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Presidential elections in Russia: awaiting new ideas

By Georgiy Bovt (15/02/2008)

Sergei Kulikov / AFP / Getty Images
How will Russian foreign policy evolve in the near future, given that Dmitry Medvedev will become president after the 2 March elections?
Georgy Bovt explores some of the possible implications, especially for relations with Europe, of the post-Putin era.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

The Stabilisation and Association Process: are EU inducements failing in the Western Balkans?

By Sofia Sebastián (12/02/2008)

Almost eight years since the launch of the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP), the framework under which the Western Balkan countries come closer to European institutions, the prospect of European membership seems further away than ever before. This Working Paper argues that the EU needs to readjust its framework and take into full consideration the different problems that afflict Balkan countries and provide real incentives to persuade them to accept the terms of stability while integrating into the EU.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Leaving Dayton behind: constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina

By Sofia Sebastián (16/11/2007)

More than a decade on from the Dayton Peace Agreement, which put in place a system of calculated checks and balances between three ethnic groups, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) continues to be mired in political instability and ethnic mistrust, delaying a significant breakthrough in its constitutional reform.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Ukraine's Elections: post-Orange Blue(s)

By Balázs Jarábik (19/09/2007)

Observers talk of a deep ‘malaise’ in reference to the indifference of both Ukrainian society and the international community towards these elections in Ukraine.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Serbia's Troublesome Road to Democracy

By Publicaciones FRIDE (19/06/2007)

On 14 June 2007 FRIDE organised a roundtable on ‘Serbia’s troublesome road to democracy’ to discuss several aspects of Serbian democracy and the Spanish foreign policy towards Serbia and its views on the Kosovo status with special emphasis on Spain’s increased role as Chairman in Office of the OSCE.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

The EU's challenge in Kosovo

By Sofia Sebastián (08/05/2007)

After extensive and unsuccessful negotiations between the main parties to the Kosovo's dispute, the decision on the final status of the Balkan entity will be taken to the United Nations Security Council. If a resolution conceding supervised independence is approved, the EU will be set to implement one of the biggest operations in its history.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Buffer Rus: new challenges for EU policy towards Belarus

By Balázs Jarábik, Alastair James Rabagliati (15/03/2007)

If the EU wishes to offer a ‘European’ alternative for the Belarusian people, it must act urgently to implement a more effective policy.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Europe and Russia, Beyond Energy

By Kristina Kausch (01/03/2007)

Russia often appears to have dominated the European foreign policy agenda during the last two years. This paper suggests that Russia’s deep-seated political reconfiguration requires the EU to look beyond the issue of energy security and stake out a more coherent prioritisation of its objectives towards Russia.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Serbia's Elections and the Challenges Ahead

By Sofia Sebastián (15/01/2007)

Serbia is set to elect a new government on January 21, 2007. These elections will indicate how ready Serbia is to confront challenges that have remained unresolved since Slobodan Milosevic’s rule ended.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Constitutional referendum in Serbia: democratic reform and Euro-Atlantic integration on hold?

By Jos Boonstra (01/11/2006)

Last month, on 28 and 29 October, just over half of Serbian citizens went to the polls and voted in favour of a new constitution. In almost any country, an event of this kind would be quite an occasion; however, this is not the case in today’s Serbia.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Russia: the G8 summit and beyond

By Kristina Kausch (01/07/2006)

Ahead of the G8 summit to be hosted by  Putin in St. Petersburg on July 15-17, this Backgrounder outlines developments in EU-Russian relations and suggests some of the most important policy dilemmas facing European governments in their strategies towards Moscow.

Eastern dimension and the Balkans

Desafíos: La Unión Europea ante su ampliación

By Joaquín Arango, Manuel Balmaseda, Jordi Canals, Diego Cano Soler, Antoni Castells, Marta Espasa, José Manuel González-Páramo, Jorge Hay, José Antonio Herce, Juan Francisco Jimeno, Carmela Martín, Emilio Ontiveros, Francisco Pérez, Javier Paredes, Federico Prades Sierra, Caitlin Randall, Paul Rogers, Miguel Sebastián, José María Sumpsi Viñas, Patrocinio Tello, José Ignacio Torreblanca, Gabriel Tortella, Darío Valcárcel (13/03/2003)