Suchergebnisse

The article explores the recent shift in the European Union's approach towards candidate states in the Western Balkans.(1) It argues that the European Commission has started to pay greater attention to parliaments in candidate states in order to promote and secure accession-related reforms. As a result, national parliaments in candidate states have greater opportunities to shape the content of these reforms, including those in the rule of law sector. Consequently, the article elaborates on the factors that could potentially affect Balkan parliaments' involvement in the accession process.

The article investigates why Georgian and Moldovan think-tanks have not emulated effective forms of advocacy in relations with the EU that their Ukrainian counterparts have established, namely a liaison office in Brussels. The reason is not the cost but rather the presence of alternative communication channels, high-level personal contacts and think-tanks' focus on organizational survival. Better connectivity and new means of communication make the presence of a Brussels hub less crucial for regional think-tanks. Our research shows that there is often limited collaboration amongst think-tanks at the national level, which negatively affects opportunities for transnational advocacy of Eastern Partnership (EaP) think-tanks in relations with EU institutions.
Eastern Partnership, European Union, think-tanks, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, transnational advocacy