Supporting Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership: A Way to Stabilise Societies

The Eastern Partnership member states share a common feature: decreased legitimacy or the lack of it. This deficit goes from the case of Belarus, to more manageable situations as in Azerbaijan and Ukraine were the elections’ results were contested on a small-scale. In order to increase legitimacy, accountability and widespread access to information are important. Due to the fact that political elites are more inclined to choose stability and predictability instead of encouraging active citizenship and open societies, the support that the civil society receives in these states is decisive, therefore applying a more for more approach may be risky.