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Abstract
This book analyzes the effects of European Union membership conditionality on institutional reforms in Eastern Europe, building on concrete examples from four sectors in Albania and Macedonia, two postcommunist countries that have yet to join the EU. The author discusses the theory of “consociational democracy,” often considered the key to stabilizing deeply divided countries, and reapplies it on the international stage to argue for how the EU can better direct democratization.
Ridvan Peshkopia teaches political science at the University for Business and Technology, Kosovo.
“This is an engaging, informative and well-structured account which explores some very pertinent and perennial questions. Peshkopia is an EU expert and a Balkans insider.” —Dr Othon Anastasakis, director of South East European Studies at Oxford
How much, and under what conditions, can the European Union affect democratization and democratic consolidation in prospective member states? What mechanisms does the EU employ to influence reforms in countries emerging from authoritarian rule? Focusing on Albania and Macedonia, two postcommunist countries with a legacy of internal conflict, “Conditioning Democratization” analyzes the relationship between EU accession conditionality and institutional reforms. It focuses on four sectors of reform that are often overlooked in other studies: constitutions, asylum, local decentralization and the judiciary system.
The volume critically reviews the theory of “consociational democracy,” often considered the key to stabilizing deeply divided countries, and reapplies it to the supranational institution of the European Union. In articulate, accessible prose, Ridvan Peshkopia builds on examples from multiple sectors in multiple countries to reconceptualize this theory and show that the EU can indeed use membership conditions as a tool to encourage and direct reform.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioning Democratization | i | ||
| Title | iii | ||
| Copyright | iv | ||
| CONTENTS | vii | ||
| PREFACE | xi | ||
| ABBREVIATIONS | xvii | ||
| Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION | 1 | ||
| The Legacies of Communism | 3 | ||
| Pre-communist Legacies | 3 | ||
| Nation-State Building and Ethnic Homogeneity | 3 | ||
| Elites and Masses in Democratization | 5 | ||
| The International Dimension of Democratization and the EU Impact on Eastern European Democratization | 6 | ||
| From political conditionality to EU membership conditionality | 8 | ||
| Explaining the Effects of EU Membership Conditionality on Membership-Aspiring Countries’ Institutional Reform | 12 | ||
| Chapter 2 A SECTORIAL CONTEXTUAL APPROACH TO THE EFFECTS OF EU MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONALITY ON EASTERN EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS | 19 | ||
| Negotiating Conditions | 27 | ||
| The Sectorial Contextual Approach | 30 | ||
| Research Design | 34 | ||
| Assuming elites’ role | 34 | ||
| The empirical test and data | 34 | ||
| Selection of cases: Reforms and countries | 34 | ||
| Variables | 37 | ||
| Data | 40 | ||
| Conclusions | 40 | ||
| Chapter 3 CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS \rIN ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA: CONDITIONING CONSOCIATIONAL PRACTICES FOR EU AND DOMESTIC DEMOCRATIC STABILITY | 43 | ||
| The EU and Albanian Constitutional Reform | 45 | ||
| A consociational interpretation of Albanian constitutional reform | 54 | ||
| A sectorial contextual interpretation of Albanian constitutional reform | 55 | ||
| Imposing Two-Level Consociational Practices: The EU and Macedonian Constitutional Reform | 57 | ||
| Macedonian constitutional reform in paper and practice: Dodging the bullet or baiting it? | 58 | ||
| A consociational interpretation of the Macedonian crisis and its aftermath | 73 | ||
| A sectorial contextual interpretation of Macedonian constitutional reform | 80 | ||
| Conclusions | 80 | ||
| Chapter 4 LOCAL DECENTRALIZATION REFORM | 83 | ||
| The Politics of Local Decentralization in Albania: Denying Yourself What You Do Not Want Your Rival to Have | 87 | ||
| A consociational interpretation of EU motivations toward \rAlbanian decentralization reform | 96 | ||
| A sectorial interpretation of Albanian decentralization reform | 96 | ||
| Conditioning Consociational Practices in Local Government: The Case of Macedonia | 99 | ||
| Macedonian decentralization reform | 99 | ||
| A consociational interpretation of Macedonian decentralization reform | 108 | ||
| A sectorial contextual interpretation of Macedonian decentralization reform | 110 | ||
| Conclusions | 112 | ||
| Chapter 5 JUDICIAL REFORMS | 115 | ||
| Albanian Judicial Reform | 117 | ||
| A consociationalist interpretation of Albanian judicial reform | 130 | ||
| A sectorial contextual interpretation of Albanian judicial reform | 133 | ||
| Macedonian Judicial Reform | 135 | ||
| A consociational interpretation of Macedonian judicial reform | 144 | ||
| A sectorial contextual interpretation of Macedonian judicial reform | 146 | ||
| The Role of Human Capital: Eliminating Alternative Explanations | 148 | ||
| Conclusions | 150 | ||
| Chapter 6 ASYLUM REFORMS | 153 | ||
| Asylum in Albania: The Politics of Oblivion and Obedience | 155 | ||
| Asylum in Macedonia: How Many Sticks and Carrots Count? | 161 | ||
| A Consociational Interpretation of Albanian and Macedonian Asylum Reforms | 168 | ||
| A Sectorial Interpretation of Albanian and Macedonian Asylum Reforms | 171 | ||
| Conclusion | 176 | ||
| Chapter 7 BEYOND REFORMS | 177 | ||
| Albania: In the Trap of the Politics of Obtaining and Maintaining Power | 178 | ||
| Macedonia: In the Trap of Identity Politics | 182 | ||
| The politics of antiquisation | 183 | ||
| On neighbors’ toes | 186 | ||
| The name dispute with Greece | 188 | ||
| The diplomacy of the name dispute | 195 | ||
| The name dispute and Macedonia’s NATO and EU perspective | 196 | ||
| The aftermath of the Bucharest Summit | 200 | ||
| The implications of Macedonia’s international disputes to its EU membership: A consociationalist interpretation | 205 | ||
| Conclusion | 207 | ||
| Chapter 8 CONCLUSIONS | 209 | ||
| Appendix A THE DEMOGRAPHIC DYNAMIC OF MACEDONIA SINCE 1981 | 217 | ||
| Appendix B OHRID FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT | 221 | ||
| ANNEX A \nCONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS | 224 | ||
| ANNEX B\rLEGISLATIVE MODIFICATIONS | 229 | ||
| ANNEX C\n IMPLEMENTATION AND CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES | 231 | ||
| Appendix C ANALYSIS OF THE FULFILLMENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO ALBANIA, NOVEMBER 2010, ACCORDING TO 2011 AND 2012 PROGRESS REPORTS | 235 | ||
| Appendix D GEOGRAPHIC AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF HISTORICAL MACEDONIA | 243 | ||
| NOTES | 245 | ||
| Chapter 1 Introduction | 245 | ||
| Chapter 2 A Sectorial Contextual Approach to the Effects of EU Membership Conditionality on Eastern European Institutional Reforms | 246 | ||
| Chapter 3 Constitutional Reforms in Albania and Macedonia: Conditioning Consociational Practices for EU and Domestic Democratic Stability | 246 | ||
| Chapter 4 Local Decentralization Reform | 254 | ||
| Chapter 5 Judicial Reforms | 260 | ||
| Chapter 6 Asylum Reforms | 269 | ||
| Chapter 7 Beyond Reforms | 275 | ||
| Chapter 8 Conclusions | 285 | ||
| Appendix C Analysis of the Fulfillment of the European Commission’s Recommendations to Albania, \rNovember 2010, According to 2011 and 2012 Progress Reports | 286 | ||
| Appendix D Geographic and Political Divisions of Historical Macedonia | 286 | ||
| REFERENCES | 287 | ||
| INDEX | 317 |