As EU rushes to enlarge, candidate countries lag in rule of law transparency

by · EUobserver

The EU may be courting its neighbours, but are they ready to make the plunge? (Source: Zelensky’s social media)

EU and the World

Unlock article and share
By Gaia Neiman,
Brussels
,

Experts say countries seeking EU membership are rushing to pass EU-aligned laws while sidestepping rule-of-law standards, or failing to make enough progress on transparency and anti-corruption efforts.

Leaders from the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe hoping to join the EU have had a historic month, witnessing the opening of Ukrainian and Moldovan accession negotiations after two years of blockade due to former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán’s veto.

But NGOs have now warned of a slowdown in their transparency efforts.

For Ukraine, experts argue that Kyiv had used Hungary’s veto threat as a shield, delaying some of the work needed to strengthen transparency and anti-corruption safeguards. “Progress on anti-corruption reforms has been uneven and quite limited,” said Oleksandra Misiura of watchdog group Transparency International Ukraine at an event in Brussels on Wednesday (24 June).

While Kyiv has introduced a new public procurement law aimed at aligning its system with EU standards, Misiura said legislative progress had stalled. “We’ve had a halt in legislative initiatives being adopted by parliament, and the only impetus we could get for MPs to vote on certain laws was when they were linked to European integration,” she told EUobserver.

However, the EU-harmonisation craze has meant that bills that incorporate EU directives often bypass mandatory consultation procedures, increasingly excluding civil society from decision-making, with many NGOs disappearing in Georgia.

Last year, the Tbilisi City Court approved a request from the Prosecutor’s Office to freeze the bank accounts of seven leading Georgian civil society organisations, in a move widely seen as politically motivated.

Governments in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Montenegro are expediting lawmaking through the excuse of EU integration, despite enlargement commissioner Marta Kos often emphasising that rule of law must be “at the centre” of accession reforms. 

The rushed transposition of EU laws is especially felt in Albania, a country in advanced stages of accession negotiations. “The government [is] arguing that when a law is required by the EU, there’s not much space to consult or negotiate anything in it,” Daniel Prroni from independent fact-checking organisation Faktoje told EUobserver on Wednesday. 

The Balkan country continues to struggle with high rates of financial crime, ranking 91st out of 182 countries globally on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index., sitting far below the European regional average. 

“We have a huge problem with money laundering comparing to other countries in the region,” said Redi Ametllari from the Institute for Democracy and Mediation.

This challenge is not unique to Albania, however; neighboring nations like Bosnia and Herzegovina (ranked 109th), as well as Ukraine (ranked 104th), face similarly severe institutional vulnerabilities.

“Enlargement cannot be treated as a box-ticking exercise, and should not reward formal compliance alone,” Carolina Gil, Policy Associate at Transparency International told EUobserver.

Unlock article and share

Latest from Albania

Luxury tourism boom meets crumbling services: Albania’s protests shake its EU path

From protected park to Trump-linked playground: how Albania is privatising its coastline

Latest from Enlargement

Leaders promise cash for reforms as part of ‘EU future’ for Moldova

Dutch PM calls out Spain’s lack of Ukraine funding, amid speculation on peace talks

Latest from Ukraine

Putin keen to offset bad news on Crimea by capture of Kostyantynivka, as Russians advance by crawling between houses (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,582)

German appetite for Russian cod puts EU fish sanctions at risk

Latest from EU and the World

EU disease agency urges states to stay on alert, after Ebola case confirmed in France

[Interview] Drone control means Ukrainians only need to wait for Russia’s economic crisis, expert says

The EU may be courting its neighbours, but are they ready to make the plunge? (Source: Zelensky's social media)

Topics

Author Bio

Gaia Neiman is a migration and politics reporter at the EUobserver. She has previously written for Reuters, The Guardian, The Telegraph, among others.

+ Follow author by email