Democratic Consolidation in Southeast Europe - A Step Forward?

Strengthening the rule of law and consolidating democracy is still a challenge facing countries in Southeastern Europe (SEE). Despite the prospective for EU accession for the Western Balkan states and full EU membership for others, issues regarding the quality of democratic institutions and the efficiency of legal procedures are still at stake. There are multiple factors that contribute to the weakened state of constitutional democracy in SEE countries while also blocking their political and social development. This article offers a sober view on the democratic consolidation process, emphasizing that a decline from democratic politics may happen at any moment. For one, defective democracies in Southeastern Europe are exposed to nationalism and populism, suffering from weak institutional performance and a burdensome communist legacy. Furthermore, negative stereotypes and practices of exercising political power in SEE countries hamper the development of the rule of law, efficient democratic systems, and accountable governments. Corruption and clientelism likewise seem embedded in the social structures. Thus, in the absence or inefficiency of the rule of law, the political situation in SEE countries is often described in terms of a ‘state capture', not democratic consolidation. However, according to a mid-term perspective, positive change is still possible, but it requires active civil society participation as well as EU institutional commitment to the rule of law and democracy building in the region. In some cases, moreover, coordinated endeavors between active civil society groups and EU institutions could exercise effective pressure on the national political elites to introduce necessary institutional reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]