The role and impact of positive conditionality in the EU pre-accession policy
Date
2012-03-13
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Laienemised on Euroopa Liitu ja sellele eelnenud Euroopa Ühendusi 60 aasta jooksul märkimisväärselt muutnud, arvestades, et kuue asutajaliikmega on tänaseks liitunud veel 21 uut liikmesriiki. Eesti jaoks olid laienemisprotsessi olulisimad aastad 1993-2004, mil laienemispõhimõtete ja tingimuste mõistmisest sõltus meie enda liitumise võimalikkus ja tempo. Just antud perioodi alguses, 1993. Aastal, kujunes laienemispõhimõtete keskseks loogikas nn. positiivne tingimuslikkus, mis määratles kandidaatriikidele seatavate tingimuste sisu, kriteeriumid ja koostöö vormi. Aastal 2004, mil 10 uut liikmesriiki EL-ga ühines, tõdeti, et positiivse tingimuslikkuse ellukutsumine oli osutunud edukaks ning seda nähti ka edaspidi laienemispoliitika keskse mudelina. Järgnevate kandidaatriikide kaasamine paraku ei osutunud efektiivseks, mis omakorda tõstatas vajaduse positiivset tingimuslikkuse toimimist täiendavalt analüüsida.
Käesoleva doktoritöö uuribki, millised huvid, väärtused ja motiivid suunasid positiivse tingimuslikkuse kujunemist ning millised teooriad suudavad selle arengut kõige argumenteeritumalt seletada.
Uurimuse käigus selgus, et positiivse tingimuslikkuse kasutamine perioodil 1993-2006 EL laienemispoliitika keskse instrumendina, oli erakordne, nii oma mõju, komplekssuse, kui ka tähtsuse osas. Samuti ilmnes, et laienemistingimuslikkuse eesmärgid ja väärtused on olnud pidevas arengus: algselt domineerinud neo-funktsionalistlikud huvid asendusid järgnevate laienemiste käigus esmalt valitsustevahelise huvidega ning viimases kahes laienemisringis neo-imperialistlike ja neo-institutsionalistlike huvidega.
Positiivne tingimuslikkuse kasutamisel on enamik kandidaatriike arenenud mõneti kiiremini kui EL keskmiselt, siiski ei ole nende areng olnud silmapaistvalt edukas: nii olid 5. ja 6. laienemisring EL ajaloo pikima kestusega ja sisaldades lõpuks ikkagi vaeseimad liitujad EL ajaloos. Uuringu tulemusel ilmnes, et mitte positiivne tingimuslikkus ei pruukinud olla viienda laienemisvooru edu keskseks teguriks, vaid hoopis erakordselt koostöövalmid kandidaatriigid.
Positiivse tingimuslikkuse ideel on viimastel aastatel olnud aina vähem toetajaid ning mudeli tulevik näib vähem perspektiivne, kui viie aasta eest, mil toimus viimane laienemine.
Positive conditionality has found intensive use by the European Union (EU) during last 20 years in the fields of enlargement and neighbourhood policy. It has also been in process of remarkable development and change during the period 1993-2011. The central interest of dissertation was to research which fundamental values and purposes EU pre-accession conditionality was serving. Was it fastest and most effective accession framework? Were these the interests of existing member states or representing the compromise for all sides? Did the target countries actually catch up the existing EU welfare level and which were the long term effects? Positive conditionality has not been used in similar terms during all six rounds of accession. The use of positive conditionality has been growing during the enlargement history and it has not been inevitable part of enlargement. Best results with positive conditionality were achieved during 5th accession round. Conditionality provided positive convergence effect in most candidate states, but the difference with EU average was not extraordinary and not all the candidate countries managed to use it for effective social and economic transition. Despite positive feedback from participants, 5th and 6th enlargements were the longest in the history and even after more than 10 years of preparation, Romania and Bulgaria were the poorest applicants ever accessed the EU. Research indicated connection between efficiency of conditionality and the commitment of target area. Accordingly, positive conditionality cannot be seen as universal enlargement policy model, as in cases of passive or sceptical recipient side, efficiency of model will drop, attempts to get results without influential “stick and carrot” were unsuccessful. Assessments and Progress Reports as part of positive conditionality were not used only to select candidate countries and evaluate their progress, but also to justify political reality. The future of pre-accession conditionality seems less promising today than 5 years ago when last enlargement took place: when having a forced start in 1993 pre-accession positive conditionality was developed to control and support the biggest enlargement in the EU history, 19 years later only Croatia has a visible accession prospects and enlargement in general has lost its central role in EU development.
Positive conditionality has found intensive use by the European Union (EU) during last 20 years in the fields of enlargement and neighbourhood policy. It has also been in process of remarkable development and change during the period 1993-2011. The central interest of dissertation was to research which fundamental values and purposes EU pre-accession conditionality was serving. Was it fastest and most effective accession framework? Were these the interests of existing member states or representing the compromise for all sides? Did the target countries actually catch up the existing EU welfare level and which were the long term effects? Positive conditionality has not been used in similar terms during all six rounds of accession. The use of positive conditionality has been growing during the enlargement history and it has not been inevitable part of enlargement. Best results with positive conditionality were achieved during 5th accession round. Conditionality provided positive convergence effect in most candidate states, but the difference with EU average was not extraordinary and not all the candidate countries managed to use it for effective social and economic transition. Despite positive feedback from participants, 5th and 6th enlargements were the longest in the history and even after more than 10 years of preparation, Romania and Bulgaria were the poorest applicants ever accessed the EU. Research indicated connection between efficiency of conditionality and the commitment of target area. Accordingly, positive conditionality cannot be seen as universal enlargement policy model, as in cases of passive or sceptical recipient side, efficiency of model will drop, attempts to get results without influential “stick and carrot” were unsuccessful. Assessments and Progress Reports as part of positive conditionality were not used only to select candidate countries and evaluate their progress, but also to justify political reality. The future of pre-accession conditionality seems less promising today than 5 years ago when last enlargement took place: when having a forced start in 1993 pre-accession positive conditionality was developed to control and support the biggest enlargement in the EU history, 19 years later only Croatia has a visible accession prospects and enlargement in general has lost its central role in EU development.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.
Keywords
Euroopa Liit, laienemine, kandidaatriigid, tingimused, European Union, enlargement, candidate states, conditions