Assessing EU Democracy Support (Mis)matches in the Eastern Neighborhood: A Framework for Consistency, Cohesion and Coherence

This paper presents an integrated conceptual framework to evaluate consistency, cohesion and coherence of EU democracy support in the EU eastern neighborhood and to assess how these factors influence policy effectiveness. The framework presented draws on multi/level governance, external governance and Europeanisation approaches in the study of EU foreign policy and suggests a comprehensive model to understand and explain alignment within the EU, and between the EU and its member states. The advantages of this model constitute a critical way for dealing with structural and practical dimensions of the EU democracy support and provide criteria based on which the (mis)match between the EU normative goals and the democratic demands of the Eastern Neighborhood countries can be identified. The paper illustrates how theoretical insights translate into measures of aligning EU and member state policies with local contexts using case studies of key member states (Poland, Sweden, Germany and others). Findings suggest that although coherence and coordination improve the EU’s democratic influence, the persistence of internal and external mismatches (differences among national preferences and institutional fragmentation) constrains overall effectiveness. The study hopes to advance EU foreign policy scholarship and offer actionable insights to improve democracy support that is more effective and context-sensitive in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood by establishing a structured approach to evaluate these (mis)matches.