Democratization without democracy? The assistance of the European Union for democratization processes in Palestine

Article is part of a special issue on Euro-Mediterranean relations after September 11.

Article abstract:

The democratisation of the Arab Mediterranean partner countries in general and Palestine in particular is one of the key objectives of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The European Union has accepted some responsibility in supporting these countries in this transformation process and has, following the Barcelona Conference, set up a huge financial assistance programme. Out of this programme many projects are funded that directly or indirectly aim at democratisation and Palestine is one of the most important recipients of EU assistance. However, the actual implementation of assistance has faced many problems. While some of these problems relate to domestic factors, they can also be explained by factors emanating from within the EU system of governance, namely the complex inter-institutional relationship between the Commission, which is responsible for the implementation of assistance measures, and committees dominated by Member States, which scrutinise the Commission's decision making.