EU AND DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING IN SERBIA
Keywords:
Serbia, European Union, Democratic Backsliding, Stabilocracy, Rule of LawAbstract
This paper argues that democratic backsliding in Serbia started from the ascendancy of Aleksander Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The basic premise is that the European Union (EU) publicly supports the current decision makers in Serbia despite being aware that the breakdown of Serbian democratic institutions and rule of law is fully under way. The aim of the paper is to show that by providing external legitimacy to the current Serbian government, the Union is indirectly contributing to Serbia's democratic backsliding. Finally, it should be noted that this paper does not intend to characterise the EU's overall action towards Serbia as harmful. Instead, it points out the need to change the Union's approach to democracy and the rule of law in a country that is supposed to become an EU member in the foreseeable future.
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