EU's Current Challenges notes classes

Summary classes EU’s Current Challenges

Democracy 1
Features of democracy

 Political participation
 Freedom of speech
 Elections
 Rule of law
 Separation of powers
 Respect for basic human rights

3 waves of democracy (Hungtinton)

1. 1820-1926 → male suffrage was widened US.
1922 → reverse wave when Mussolini rose to power.
2. 1945- 1962 → Allies win WW2 and decolonization.
3. 1974- 1990 → the end of military juntas and of the fall of the Soviet Union.

Factors contributing to the 3d wave of democratization

1. A deepening of legitimacy problems for authoritarian regimes
 Many of the regimes were pressured by the people to become more democratic
2. Unprecedented global growth
3. Change in the Catholic Church from defending authoritarian regimes to opposing them
4. Changes in external policies of EU, US and Soviet Union
5. Snowballing effect
 Was a presumption that the countries would be liberal

Question: Has there been a 4th wave of democracy?
- 4th wave: Arab Spring, countries wanted to be democratic
 Cause of modernization & political dissatisfaction

Arab Spring:
The people rising up against autocratic regimes
 Only one country that has become more democratic
 Bad things happened in the meantime
 It was a 4th wave, but the downfall was really hard afterwards

Fareed Zakaria
Two directions of democracy:

1. The concept of democracy
→ Elections, parliament, a process for choosing leaders and popular participation

2. Liberalism
→ Rule of law, separation of power, system that protects the individuals, freedom of speech,
press and religion.
 These are part of liberalism, not so much on democracy
 The first doesn’t have anything to do with the other and the other way around.
 Illiberal democracy (democracy is high and constitutional liberalism is low).

, Constitutional liberalism

 Rights to life and property, freedoms of religion and speech
 Checks on the power of government
 Equality under the law
 Impartial courts and tribunals
 Separation of church and states
 It is not tied to democracy

Illiberal democracy =
Contains a system which is corrupt
 Restriction on assembly and speech, constraints on the press, retribution against political
opponents, oppression of minorities.
 An illiberal democracy, is a democratic country that does not uphold the liberal ideas
 Examples: Putin, Erdogan, Orban

Democracy 2
Robert Dahl philosopher on democracy

 Effective participation (in debate and procedures)
 Voting equality at a decisive stage
 Enlightened understanding
 Control over the agenda

10 different benefits to democracy Dahl

1. Helps to prevent a government from becoming land vicious autocrats.
2. Fundamental rights are guaranteed.
3. Broad range of personal freedoms.
4. Protecting own, personal, fundamental interests.
5. Freedom of self-determination.
6. Exercising moral responsibility.
7. Fostering human development.
8. Foster relatively high degree of political equality.
9. Democracies do not fight wars with one another.
10. Tend to be more prosperous.

Hungary – events leading upto the Sargentini report

 2004: Hungary becomes a MS
 2010: Present: Orban becomes Prime minister
 2017: big campaign “Let’s stop Brussels” (hidden agenda Hungary)
 2018: Orban’s party wins, able to change constitution

 In the years priors, the EU couldn’t do much against Orbans denial of core EU values
 Nationalist voices become stronger all over EU
 Trigger article 7: you have to gather all information (values that are breached)

2 options article 7:
1) Preventive mechanism: clear risk of a breach of EU values
2) Sanctions mechanism: a serious breach of EU values

Sargentini Report