Post-Accession Crisis in the New Member States: Progressing or Backsliding in the EU?

"The global crisis broke out ‘externally’ when the ‘internal’ institutional crisis in the EU reached its peak. In addition, the new member states were still in the post-accession crisis. These three types of ‘crises’ can be observed: first, a deep systemic crisis is ongoing in the global world; second, the creative crisis is the usual way of development in the EU; and finally third, the serious problems, disturbances, troubles in the new member states are transitory as the unavoidable contradiction of Europeanisation within the EU. Nonetheless, in the deepening-widening relationship, the new members are the main losers of the triple crisis, since the global financial crisis has broken out when they have been in their most vulnerable situation, so it deteriorates significantly their efforts to catch up and reach ‘effective membership’. Two alternative scenarios can be outlined: (1) the ‘post-communist track’ and (2) the ‘completing the membership’ scenario. The first scenario has been based on the ‘Prague-Vladivostok doctrine’, which presupposes that these ‘post-communist countries’ are basically of the same nature from Prague to Vladivostok and due to the burden of history they are doomed to fail in the process of catching up in the EU. The completing the membership scenario has been based on the Europeanisation process, which indicates that the new member states can reach effective membership by 2015. All in all, a new kind of controversial progress has begun, since the global economic and social crisis with new dangers and new opportunities has accelerated the necessary domestic reforms in the new member states." (author's abstract

Post-Accession Crisis in the New Member States: Progressing or Backsliding in the EU?

The global crisis broke out ‘externally’ when the ‘internal’ institutional crisis in the EU reached its peak. In addition, the new member states were still in the post-accession crisis. These three types of ‘crises’ can be observed: first, a deep systemic crisis is ongoing in the global world; second, the creative crisis is the usual way of development in the EU; and finally third, the serious problems, disturbances, troubles in the new member states are transitory as the unavoidable contradiction of Europeanisation within the EU. Nonetheless, in the deepening-widening relationship, the new members are the main losers of the triple crisis, since the global financial crisis has broken out when they have been in their most vulnerable situation, so it deteriorates significantly their efforts to catch up and reach ‘effective membership’.Two alternative scenarios can be outlined: (1) the ‘post-communist track’ and (2) the ‘completing the membership’ scenario. The first scenario has been based on the ‘Prague-Vladivostok doctrine’, which presupposes that these ‘post-communist countries’ are basically of the same nature from Prague to Vladivostok and due to the burden of history they are doomed to fail in the process of catching up in the EU. The completing the membership scenario has been based on the Europeanisation process, which indicates that the new member states can reach effective membership by 2015. All in all, a new kind of controversial progress has begun, since the global economic and social crisis with new dangers and new opportunities has accelerated the necessary domestic reforms in the new member states

Review Article: Post-Accession Crisis in the New Member States: Progressing or Backsliding in the EU?

The global crisis broke out ‘externally’ when the ‘internal’ institutional crisis in the EU reached its peak. In addition, the new member states were still in the post-accession crisis. These three types of ‘crises’ can be observed: frst, a deep systemic crisis is ongoing in the global world; second, the creative crisis is the usual way of development in the EU; and fnally third, the serious problems, disturbances, troubles in the new member states are transitory as the unavoidable contradiction of Europeanisation within the EU. Nonetheless, in the deepening-widening relationship, the new members are the main losers of the triple crisis, since the global fnancial crisis has broken out when they have been in their most vulnerable situation, so it deteriorates signifcantly their eforts to catch up and reach ‘efective membership’.Two alternative scenarios can be outlined: (1) the ‘post-communist track’ and (2) the ‘completing the membership’ scenario. The frst scenario has been based on the ‘Prague-Vladivostok doctrine’, which presupposes that these ‘post-communist countries’ are basically of the same nature from Prague to Vladivostok and due to the burden of history they are doomed to fail in the process of catching up in the EU. The completing the membership scenario has been based on the Europeanisation process, which indicates that the new member states can reach efective membership by 2015. All in all, a new kind of controversial progress has begun, since the global economic and social crisis with new dangers and new opportunities has accelerated the necessary domestic reforms in the new member states

Ungarn zwischen zentralistischer Mehrheitsdemokratie und europaeischer Mehrebenendemokratie

'Der Sieg der Rechten, der frueher liberalen Jungdemokraten (FIDESZ) bei den Wahlen von 1998 veraenderte den Stil, in dem in Ungarn Politik betrieben wird. Die Machtuebernahme durch die FIDESZ spitzte die unvermeidlichen neuen und scharfen Widersprueche der politischen und wirtschaftlichen Transformation noch weiter zu. Trotz aller zentralistischer Tendenzen der 'FIDESZ-Welt' steht Ungarn in Mitteleuropa dennoch den Demokratien westlichen Typs am naechsten, und die Europaeisierung ist nicht nur gelungen, sondern hat in diesem Regierungszyklus sogar Fortschritte gemacht. Vom so oft zitierten Zusammenbruch der ungarischen Demokratie kann also keine Rede sein, auch deshalb nicht, weil fuer eine autoritaere Restauration, vereinfacht ausgedrueckt, fuer eine Jahrzehnte waehrende Konsolidierung a la Bethlen wie zu Beginn der zwanziger Jahre weder die externen, noch die internen Bedingungen vorhanden sind. Heute vollzieht sich vielmehr die mit grossem Laerm betriebene Etablierung der neuen Elite, die fuer Ungarn sehr kostspielig ist. Schlimmer und noch kostspieliger als die Etablierung einer neuen Elite ist nur noch, wenn die rechte, alternative Elite immer wieder auseinander bricht, wie in Polen. Am schlimmsten ist die Situation wohl in Tschechien oder der Slowakei, wo bislang noch keine einzige lebensfaehige politische Elite die Buehne betreten hat und Parteienfragmente die politische Arena bedecken. So ist die Politikverdrossenheit der Bevoelkerung in Tschechien und der Slowakei nicht weiter verwunderlich.' (Autorenreferat)SIGLEAvailable from http://library.fes.de/fulltext/id/01245.htm / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

The emergence of the multiparty system in East Central Europe the partial consolidation of the new political structure

SIGLEUuStB Koeln(38)-960106176 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman