A case study on EU-North African relations : EU-Egypt relations on democracy prior to and following the Arab Spring

Abstract

The demonstrations of the Arab Spring uprisings on pro-democracy took place in the North African region and the Middle East. The wave of the protests began in 2010 in Tunisia, which escalated to several North African countries, such as Libya, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia and Egypt. The Arab Spring aggravated the situation in Egypt and ever since then, Egypt witnessed waves of repression, sporadic violence, protests and political turnover. Human dignity, social justice and freedom were the three crucial central concerns in the streets of Egypt as their first protest rally on the 25th of January 2011. The protests initially began as it raised hopes for millions of Egyptians with an interest in promoting democracy. In spite of this, the European Union was quick in recognising the challenges North African countries were encountering in terms of economic and political transition. This study focuses on the democratic transition in the Arab world; however, the main case is based on Egypt. The main objective of this study is to perceive whether international actors such as the EU helped shape the process in the promoting democracy in Egypt. The aims of this dissertation are first, to determine, list and explain some of the most salient recommendations, decisions, and agreements relating to democracy, human rights, rule of law and fundamental freedoms as ratified by the EU and by its Member States. Subsequently, the analysis measures the current democratic developments in Egypt and critically assess the impact of the EU’s policies initiated as a response to Egypt. Finally, it will conclude with the outcome of the political transition in Egypt.