What can the European Union do for you?

A variety pack of opportunity

The European Union (EU) is a significant player on the world stage. It is seen as having a history and example from which others could learn from. It consists of 27 countries living out their own understanding of democracy. Yet it does not always have a coherent voice.

The EU is one of the largest economic and political groupings in the world. It is the biggest provider of international development assistance. It has lively discussions about democracy and human rights. Its handling of internal affairs, foreign and security policy, international development, trade, agriculture and migration is watched by governments everywhere. For good or bad, whether intentionally or not, the EU affects the way democracies develop all over the world.

As Marta Lagos, director of Chilean opinion pollsters, Latinobarómetro, said in an interview at a recent consultation meeting in Stockholm: “..it took Europe 300 years to become democratic and people in Latin America are saying this is outrageous, we have already spent 30 years after transition and we are still not democratic, which is unrecognising the basic historical facts that democracy is a long term goal and you shouldn’t get impatient because you go too slow.”

But the world itself is changing. The United States has a new leadership reaching out to a global community focused on increased partnership and understanding. Europe too is weighing up the cost of short term security and power against long term stability and human rights. There is a growing recognition of a European approach that might stand out from others – low-key, soft and subtle but still to be counted on.

So what exactly is this European way? Diversity within unity is one of the European Union’s strengths – 27 varieties of inspiration from which others can pick and choose. But is this looseness actually a weakness? Is it time for Europe to draw from its combined experience and agree to speak with one voice?

A fresh spur to debate

International IDEA has launched a new initiative to facilitate a shared understanding of how the EU’s role in democracy building best can assist international partners in building their own democracies. It is launching a series of consultations with the EU’s partner organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab world to find out how they view the EU and how the current partnership might be improved.

One example of that, as pointed out by India’s Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi in a recent consultation exercise, is that “…the EU countries are models of democracy, and democracy is deep rooted in their culture and the political system. But at the same time one feels that the problems of the EU and the problems of the developing world are probably a little different, therefore local emphasis, local focus, local variation is also very necessary.”

The information gathered from the consultations will be analyzed alongside a mapping study of the EU’s current policies on democracy building and support. By comparing the EU’s intentions with the perceptions of how those policies are working in practice, the project will draw up a picture of how the European Union could improve its operations.

The initiative, launched in September 2008 and sponsored by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, will focus on perceptions and how they relate to reality. What people think they are communicating to others is often very different from how others interpret that information. So the starting point will be learning how other countries view the EU.

The potential for misunderstanding was spelt out by Hesham Youssef of the League of Arab States: “… Europe is extremely influential, extremely powerful, but in some instances we have the feeling that it underestimates its own powers.” He added that the EU should listen more to what people in different regions were saying. “They should be playing the role of a catalyst and not the role of a teacher…. Societies have different experiences, different histories, different aspirations and people have to be empowered to achieve their own objectives.”

International IDEA has already conducted some initial analysis of papers commissioned from regional authors, and multi-regional consultations are taking place through March and April. By June 2009 the team will have drawn up a set of policy options that International IDEA will make public and present to the presidency of the EU. 

A way forward to effective partnership

The challenges to democratization are global but they play out differently in different parts of the world. This makes it all the more important for the EU to have a clear sense of its own voice and direction – and this is the key issue that is highlighted in evaluations and discussions about the EU.

In International IDEA’s recent consultation meeting Annie Chikwanha, International IDEA Board member and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Security Studies in Nairobi said, “I think a lot of the issues lie within the EU itself, looking at itself and really taking stock of its achievements and its approaches and just reviewing them, consulting more.” 

The EU institutions and policy areas are separate entities that work efficiently within themselves, but less well with each other. International IDEA’s analysis suggests that the work within the policy areas could be far more productive if they worked with a common democracy agenda. International IDEA has facilitated meetings between representatives from the different institutions, which allowed for synergy and cross-institutional dialogue.

Apart from anything else, the EU’s partners see this as operating two sets of rules, or as Ambassador Raouf Saad of Egypt put it: “…in spite of the huge resources that they are spending on assistance, (but) there are problems related to their image, the double standards...”

In its defence, the different policy areas work to differing priorities, methods and time spans and it is a real challenge to find a schedule that would for example suit both the time-pressed security issues and long-term development cooperation activities. But the EU must develop a strong narrative so it can feel confident to stand up and argue its message, and it can only do that if it practices what it preaches.

The conclusion from International IDEA’s preliminary analysis is that the time is ripe for discussion across EU’s policy areas and its institutions. Drawing out and building on the best from each policy area will make it better able to respond to its partners’ needs. But it will only be able to do this effectively if it understands how it is perceived by the outside world.

Advantages for all

If the EU succeeds in identifying this common vision there will be benefits within Europe and for its partners around the world. Although criticised for its lack of coherence, the EU is viewed by many as a reliable, credible and useful partner who is in it for the long term – and another finding from the consultation is the demand for an EU voice and sharing of European experience. 

The EU also has the advantage of being seen as good example to follow. Representatives from most of the other regions see in the European Union a successful combination of social stability, democratic pluralism and economic dynamics. To quote Mr Youssef again: “The perception about the European Union in our region is a positive perception. It is seen as the model, the successful model for economic integration. And many regions around the world are trying to emulate the European integration model, because they have succeeded in a number of elements that are still causing all kinds of difficulties in different places around the world.”

The softer European style of a ‘listening’ attitude to democracy building is seen as more effective than the ‘promotional’ approach recently practised by the United States. The EU must build on real partnerships respecting the idea that democracy grows best from within, striving to improve democratic structures and culture to support the core principles of popular control and political equity.

We see this as the best way to achieve win-win solutions that motivate everyone to participate. The European Union has a window of opportunity to speak with a distinctive voice. The multi-regional consultations led by International IDEA can help it find that voice.