Democratic Backsliding in New EU Member and Candidate States

Abstract

The panel tackles the diverse expressions of democratic backsliding among new EU member states and candidate countries. It analyses the empirical expressions of backsliding in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Western Balkans, and discusses the ways in which the EU has responded so far to a deterioration of democratic standards among its members. Moreover, it addresses the theoretical implications of backsliding when it comes to the design of the EU's enlargement policy and to political party competition at both the EU and the domestic levels. The aim of the panel is to offer a composite picture of the consequences of democratic backsliding and its potential remedies. The different papers highlight the conceptual and the empirical challenges posed by democratic backsliding in a comparative, cross-regional perspective that covers both the pre- and the post-accession dimensions.