Authoritarianism and the European Union

The global resurgence of authoritarianism over the last decade represents a challenge for democracy worldwide, but especially to the European Union, both internally and in the EU’s neighbourhood and beyond. Internally, given the EU’s self-definition as a Union of democratic states, committed to the values enshrined in article 2 of the TEU, authoritarian trends among its own member states are particularly disruptive. The EU’s unsuccessful attempts so far to address the increasing lack of pluralism, dramatic restrictions of media freedom, institutional erosion and the obstructions for independent judicial institutions that have marked this trend in Hungary and Poland show that the Union’s treaties and institutions are ill-equipped to deal with authoritarianism in member states, despite some recent progress in devising conditionality-based solutions. Some studies even suggest that EU funding and the ideological support of parties via European Parliament’s party groups have enabled autocrats and stabilised their regimes. Outside the EU, authoritarian states are playing an increasingly assertive role on the global stage and in Europe as well. Powerful authoritarian actors such as Russia and China are undermining the EU’s ability to successfully promote democratic principles and values in its own neighbourhood. Russia’s increasing assertiveness in Europe has prompted scholars to question whether it has become a centre for authoritarian diffusion, while China’s role in parts of Europe, such as the Western Balkans, undermines the logic and incentives built in the EU’s enlargement conditionality. Worldwide, resurging authoritarianism is paired with a rejection of multilateralism and policies undermining the existing institutions of global governance. The European Union’s commitment to acting through multilateral institutions as one of the foundational principles of its foreign policy remains firm, yet its effectiveness is undermined. This section invites papers analysing and addressing the authoritarian challenges to democracy and European integration more widely at all these three levels. Specific cases of authoritarian regimes should be analysed in conjunction with the challenge they represent for European policies and values. We welcome papers and in particular full panels addressing theoretical questions on the nature of the current authoritarian wave in comparison with past regimes and models as well as empirical contributions. Contributions may analyse specific challenges presented by authoritarian states inside or outside of the EU in terms of the Union’s values, norms, policies or institutions.