In person icon (Mis)matched Encounters in EU Democracy Support: Beyond Gaps in EU Foreign Policy

Abstract

The European Union’s (EU) ability to support and advance democratic norms and values has been crucial to its political integration and enlargement processes. Recent developments, including the rollback of democracy in Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, and, more recently, the suspension of EU accession by Georgia, and Moldova’s slim approval for EU membership, raise questions about the EU’s effectiveness in promoting democratic principles and practices. This panel explores the challenges and opportunities of EU democracy support in its eastern neighbourhood by critically engaging with the (mis)matches in EU foreign policy. While concepts like normative, civilian, and ideal power Europe have been widely debated in EU foreign policy scholarship, one notably uncontested approach remains the ‘gap’ or ‘deficit’ framework (Larsen 2020). Christopher Hill’s (1993) concept of the ‘capability-expectations gap’—the divergence between external expectations and the EU’s capacity to meet them—has sparked extensive literature furthering the discourse on EU ‘gaps’. Scholars have identified various deficits within the EU, including ‘capabilities,’ ‘consensus,’ ‘legitimacy,’ and ‘credibility’ gaps (Toje, 2008; Lucarelli and Fioramonti, 2010; Regelsberger, 1997; Smith, 2011) as well as ‘expectations’ and ‘communication’ deficits (Chaban and Holland, 2008; Tsuruoka, 2008). Recent work highlights additional ‘perception,’ ‘expectation–performance,’ and ‘hope–performance’ gaps (Chaban and Elgström 2020; 2021, 2024). Despite the proliferation of this ‘gap’ perspective, few have critically examined whether gaps are inherently problematic. In EU policy-making, inter-institutional and cross-policy ‘gaps’ are cited as impediments to effective outcomes. This internal fragmentation, though often framed as a matter of ‘coherence’ and ‘consistency,’ is associated with conflicting priorities and institutional competition within the EU and presented as hindering impactful policy action (Christiansen, 2001; Nuttall, 2005). These gaps in institutional alignment complicate the EU’s ability to present a unified and effective international stance, particularly in foreign policy. However, there is limited discussion on whether gaps necessarily undermine the EU’s international role. This panel proposes a new approach, focusing on the concept of (mis)match to capture the fluidity of both divergence and convergence in EU policy-making. The (mis)match framework provides a more nuanced analysis of EU policy-making, capturing dynamics between EU institutions and member states, and EU rhetoric versus practice. It also allows us to assess EU foreign policy both internally (e.g., between institutions, sectors, or EU rhetoric versus practice) and externally (e.g., between EU policy and external perceptions, or EU policy and local conditions). Democracy support actions, with their contested nature, offer an ideal case for exploring these (mis)matches. The panel is particularly interested in ideational and performance (mis)matches, where contestation, negotiation and compromise may shape EU foreign policy. The ideational level includes expectations and perceptions of the EU, both externally and internally, while the performance level focuses on actual policy actions, such as democracy assistance, technical aid, and sanctions. By mapping various (mis)matches, the panel seeks to explore how these dynamics influence EU democracy support and broader foreign policy effectiveness. The papers in this panel aim to: ● identify the existence of (mis)matches, both at the ideational and performance levels of EU foreign policy ● explore the complex cohabitation of (mis)matching trends ● investigate how (mis)matches are managed, negotiated, abandoned or resolved ● explore the opportunities for co-creating policy between the EU and external partners

Title	Details
Beyond Declarations: Examining the Mismatch in the EU’s Democracy Promotion Efforts in Eastern Europe	View Paper Details
Contested Visions: Elite Conceptions of Democracy in the EU Eastern Neighborhood	View Paper Details
Aligning Agendas: Assessing the EU's 'Good Governance' Strategy and Local Needs in the Eastern Neighbourhood	View Paper Details
Attitudes Towards Georgia’s EU Membership: Towards a Better Understanding of Popular Support and Opposition to EU Accession in Georgia	View Paper Details
Assessing EU Democracy Support (Mis)matches in the Eastern Neighborhood: A Framework for Consistency, Cohesion and Coherence	View Paper Details