Mauvais tournant pour l'Europe orientale

Selon un article rédigé en juillet 2007 par Jeannette Goehring et Kristine Evenson pour Transitions Online, les membres de l’UE obstinés devraient relancer des réformes politiques et judiciaires. Les auteurs ajoutent que les dirigeants devraient agir de façon responsable pour regagner la confiance de leur électorat et montrer qu’ils sont disposés à effectuer des réformes. 

The euphoria of finally « reaching Europe » has faded for many central and eastern European countries in the three years since jubilant celebrations marked their accession to the Union, the authors state. 

Goehring and Evenson claim that post accession, there is no consensus over the best direction for these governments and societies to follow, with the route no longer being a predictable one-way path towards higher democratic standards. Instead, parts of institutions carefully developed over the past decade are starting to crumble under the pressure of increasing disillusionment and the politics of populism. 

Basic institutions in all of the new EU states are « relatively democratic, predictable and accountable », the authors concede. However, quoting a Freedom House report, they claim that eight of the ten central and eastern European member states have stagnated or worsened in their democratic governance standards since accession, a perception that is compounded by the 2006 electoral crises in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. 

Pre-2004, the push for EU membership was the democratic rallying cry for many complicated reforms in countries across the region, the article argues. The subsequent stagnation points to a larger dilemma of self-monitoring within the EU and the need for all members – « old » or « new » – to be held accountable to their commitments to abide by EU standards. 

For Goehring and Evenson, a key common complaint in the new EU countries is the lack of real progress in the fight against corruption – leading to disillusioned electorates. The news media in these countries have contributed to the perception that corruption is still rife through sensationalist and partisan reporting, they claim. Meanwhile, they accuse the judicial systems in the new member states of having been slow to take up the corruption fight. 

The article concludes that the problem and the solution both rest in rebuilding trust between the public and those who serve in the public interest. A first step would be to re-infuse political culture with a civility that respects differences of opinion over policy and allows realistic strategies to emerge. 

All should be concerned about a sizeable portion of the EU that is becoming increasingly passive, polarised, and populist, the authors believe.