Survey of European Democracy Promotion Policies 2000-2006 Released
30 June 2006

FRIDE (La Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior), a non-governmental democracy promotion organization based in Madrid, has come out with a comprehensive “Survey of European Democracy Promotion Policies”.  The survey examines the democracy promotion efforts from 2000 to 2006 of EU institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, as well as those of seven individual member states- Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The book examines stated European commitments to democracy promotion, as well as the extent that European resources have been allocated to that end. It compares and contrasts democracy promotion practices and how European foreign policies have complemented and at times conflicted with their stated dedication to democratic development.

The survey points to a mixed European record. Europeans in general tended to prefer less potent multilateral processes and to focus on human rights promotion broadly rather than democracy. The survey asserts that the EU’s efforts to promote democracy were undermined by internal disagreement and institutional barriers. An ongoing debate remains about whether the EU institutions should have a global or regional neighbor-oriented focus.   

Denmark and Sweden stood out as especially strong and explicit supporters of democracy promotion, in pronouncing the necessity of democracy to security and peace, imposing political conditionality on economic aid, and in targeting aid toward democratic assistance. The report is critical of Spanish, French and German democracy promotion policies. The survey cites French and German accommodation with prominently undemocratic Russia and China in solidifying opposition to the Iraq war, and French hesitance to participate in what was perceived a U.S. dominated democracy promotion agenda. Spain is accused of resisting political conditionality in aid and deferring to cultural dialogues that had little impact toward democratization during this period. The report attributes the politicization of democracy promotion due to the Iraq War as a source of European skepticism.