Taking stock of the EU’s good governance agenda: what’s in it for democracy in the ENP?

One of the flagship strategies emanating from the EU in supporting the spread and consolidation of democracy in the Eastern Neighbourhood countries was the implementation of the ‘good governance’ agenda. Setting out a clear set of criteria (openness, participation, responsibility, efficiency and coherence), the EU has worked closely with other international organisations such as the World Bank, the OECD, and the UNDP, to effectively create an instrument of foreign policy. Criticisms around the agenda itself have focused precisely on its capacity to facilitate democracy promotion to the countries to which it extends and, on its ability to respond to the needs of the targeted populations in each country. The purpose of this paper is to take stock of the EU’s good governance agenda, discussing (a) the objectives of the EU’s strategy around good governance; (b) the channels that the strategy is using to promote this agenda and (c) the monitoring and implementation of the agenda on the countries of the ENP. Focusing specifically on the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood, this paper offers a comparative insight into the impact of the good governance agenda on Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus and provides an assessment of its link to democracy promotion in these countries. The paper is a springboard for the theoretical framework of the REDEMOS project.