SPECIAL ISSUE
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Chitu Andrei
    EU Democracy Promotion in the Mediterranean: What are the Main Challenges? The Egyptian Case
    in Romanian Journal of International Relations and European Studies (The) , Volume 1, Number 2, Roads of Migration. Roads to Migration ,  2012 ,  47-56
    The recent changes in Egypt opened a great opportunity for the EU to act as norm promoter. The aim of this paper is to explain what major obstacles stand in the EU’s way towards better democracy promotion in Egypt. The core of the paper is divided in four parts, each corresponding to a major challenge for the EU in its attempt to promote norms south of the Mediterranean. First, I bring arguments in support of the idea that the democracy versus stability dilemma is still a hindrance to the EU’s norm promotion efforts. Second, I describe the main lines of divergence within the EU as the cause for its inconsistent policies. Third, I emphasize that there are systemic differences between the European and the Egyptian models of political rule. Finally, I assess the economic and financial interactions between the EU and its Mediterranean neighbour.Not only is the exclusion of certain agricultural products from the free trade agreements the EU’s southern neighbours’ main source of discontent, but also the Free Trade Area (FTA) envisaged by the economic partnership has overall negative effects in Southern Mediterranean Countries (SMC). As long as the European - promoted reforms do not consider Egyptians as equal partners, the EU cannot be successful as norm promoter. Following the EU’s lack of achievements in promoting democracy and the recent regime changes in Northern Africa, I conclude that the EU needs a different Mediterranean strategy and new priorities.
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