Suchergebnisse

AbstractExisting research typically sees European Union (EU) development co‐operation as one of its tools for influencing third countries. By contrast, in focusing on technical assistance as a part of EU development co‐operation, this article examines third countries' influence on this co‐operation. The article builds on unique data on the EU's technical assistance to third countries and third countries' requests for technical assistance from the largest EU technical assistance instrument – the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange. The findings demonstrate that third countries are selective in the assistance that they request and that via such requests third countries can influence the extent of technical co‐operation with the EU. The article provides a novel outside‐in perspective on the EU's development co‐operation and contributes to our understanding of how the EU's technical assistance functions.

AbstractClimate change mitigation and adaptation are among the policy areas covered by the European Union (EU) in trans‐governmental cooperation with the neighboring countries. Although this cooperation is open to all European Neighborhood Policy countries and Russia, there is significant cross‐country variance. This article maps the EU's climate networks in the neighborhood and, building on time‐series cross‐sectional data analysis, explains the cross‐country differences. The study contributes to Europeanization and network governance literatures by demonstrating that the main driver of EU engagement in climate networks in the region is interdependencies stemming from geographic proximity. Meanwhile, state capacity is an important condition for establishing climate cooperation: climate cooperation develops more with closer neighbors that have stronger state capacity. Importantly, contrary to the logic of its international climate commitments, climate vulnerabilities do not define the extent of the EU's engagement in climate networks with its neighborhood.

What influences the European Union's (EU's) policy towards human rights abuse in third countries? What effects do the EU's punitive measures have on the subsequent human rights situation? In literature, there is no consensus about the effects of such an instrument; moreover, scholars often question the consistency of its application in regions where the EU has strong strategic interests. Utilizing time-series cross-section analysis of twelve former Soviet republics over two decades, the present article demonstrates that the severity of imposed measures is guided by the actual human rights situation, and the presence of competing interests does not determine their intensity. Additionally, coercive measures are shown to have a positive effect on the subsequent human rights situation. At the same time, competing interests of the EU prove able to undermine the instrument's ex-ante credibility and, thereby, limit its potential impact.