European Union policies towards MENA civil society

Abstract

Over the past three decades, supporting civil society has become one of the European Union’s (EU) key means to promote democracy beyond its borders. Democracy support remains one of the main stated goals of the EU in neighbouring countries such as those in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Civil society support in what the EU calls its Southern Neighbourhood has, in some ways, epitomized the EU’s self-understanding as a liberal and benevolent actor in world politics (Manners 2006: 2013). It entails support for politically oriented nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in advocacy, watchdog work (e.g. anticorruption, human rights), ‘empowerment’ (of women, youth, minorities) and similar activities – as these can push for democratiza ion ‘from below’ and address the democratic deficit the MENA region suffers from (Kamrava 2007). It is part of a larger array of tools to promote democracy, which also includes support for the media sector, judiciaries, parliaments, and political parties as well as election observation and using incentives and threats of sanctions to nudge MENA governments to espouse democratic values. However, both the policy of EU democracy promotion in general and European funding for MENA non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in particular have, from the start, proven controversial politically and subject to intense scrutiny academically. [extract]