EU support for sustainable change in transition societies

People in every part of the world aspire to political freedom, security for themselves and their families, accountable government, economic opportunities and justice. In response, many countries, including those in the EU's own neighbourhood, have recently undertaken or are now embarking upon major reforms – reforms designed to transform their societies into inclusive democracies that are both willing and able to address the needs and aspirations of the population and, in some cases, normalise their relations with the international community and neighbouring countries.

The EU has considerable experience from such transition processes, both internally and in supporting the efforts of other countries in its neighbourhood and around the world. The EU's enlargement policy, in particular, has proven to be a powerful tool to foster societal transformation. Countries that have already acceded to the EU, in particular those who joined in 2004 and in 2007, and those on the road to join have undergone impressive changes through accession-driven democratic and economic reforms. The close inter-linkage of peace, stability, democracy, and prosperity has come to the forefront also in other frameworks, including the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), development cooperation and EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

This Communication is intended to examine what the EU has to offer to help countries in transition achieve successful and sustainable transformations, building on its own experiences. It also sets out a number of concrete measures to improve the way in which the EU supports these countries so that they could achieve lasting reforms and avoid backsliding.

EUR-Lex: SWD(2012)282: Joint Staff Working Document http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2012:282:FIN

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