European Parliament´s Democracy Support in South America: The case of Colombia

The developing participation of the European Parliament within CFSP has led the institution to engage in democracy support activities vis-à-vis third countries such as Colombia. The latter gained the attention within the Parliament and its mechanisms such as the thematic hearings, parliamentary missions and interparliamentary discussions within EuroLat. Looking through the sociological institutionalist lens, this paper aims to analyze the outcomes of the European Parliament’s international actions as regards democracy support in Colombia. Such theoretical framework will be complemented by the reflection provided by Levitsky and Way on the Linkage and Leverage of democracy promotion policies. On the basis of official documents, including minutes and resolutions, of the European Parliament ranging from 2009 to 2021, the paper’s analysis will attempt to validate the Levitsky and Way’s work to the extent that it will add evidence that the high level of linkages between the EU and Colombia has lead to a high leverage of the European Parliament policies towards this country.