EU Human Rights and Democratisation Assistance to Central Asia: In Need of Further Reform

One of the declared priorities of the European Union (EU) in Central Asia is the strengthening of good governance, rule of law, human rights and democratisation. Given the EU’s limited financial resources and leverage in the region, and the unfavourable domestic conditions for democratisation, one can hardly expect European efforts to result in a significant liberalisation of Central Asian political regimes. Yet, EU assistance to local civil society can enhance social participation, which provides a foundation for a bottom-up democratisation process.

In these terms, the EU thematic programmes – the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development (NSA/LA), and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) – primarily operating in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are of particular relevance. Uzbekistan continues to benefit from the Institution Building and Partnership Programme (IBPP); a funding mechanism that is no longer active in other countries. However, Turkmenistan is practically excluded from all these initiatives.

A distinct feature of the IBPP, the NSA/LA and the EIDHR is that they provide support not to the governments of the respective EU Human Rights and Democratisation Assistance to Central Asia: In Need of Further Reform Vera Axyonova Vera Axyonova is a Ph.D. Fellow at the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences. She received her M.A. in Intercultural Communication and European Studies from the Fulda University of Applied Sciences and a diploma in International Relations from the East Kazakhstan State University. Her research interests lie in European development and democratisation policies, civil society development, and Central Asian affairs. She has worked on election observation and conducted research at various institutions, including CEPS in Brussels and the Prague office of the OSCE Secretariat. United states – as is the case with mainstream assistance – but to civil society organisations. The instruments are thus assumed to be contributing directly to the development of both the non governmental sector and pluralist societies in the beneficiary countries.

This policy brief reviews the programming documents, procedures and implementation of the IBPP, the NSA/LA and the EIDHR with regard to Central Asia. Their impact and deficiencies are evaluated, and the brief concludes with recommendations for the further planning and operation of these programmes.