Influence of EU Conditionality on Armenia`s Integration Capacity in 1999-2013

Abstract

Armenia is one of the interesting cases of Europeanization. Even though it has never expressed interest in EU membership, it was committed to EU partnership like other progressive EaP countries. According to theories of Europeanization, countries like Armenia, which have undemocratic governmental system, does not aspire membership, democratization and has deep geopolitical situation have limitations in their path of Europeanization; they are less willing to undertake the costly reforms, the receive EU norms and approximate their legislation. Armenian behavior is diversion from the theoretical thinking of Europeanization, as country has expressed willingness to undertake the reforms and progress bilateral EU-Armenia relations. Overall progress was illustrated with the conclusions of DCFTA/AA negotiations next to countries who much larger goals and wanted to become the members of Union. The research analyzed the transformation of Armenia from Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to completion of DCFTA/AA negotiations. The aim of the research is to illustrate how conditionality influenced on the reformation process and external integration capacity of Armenia in 1999-2013. The Conditionality is leverage mode of EU governance which was elaborated during the enlargement periods was adapted to EU Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership programs. Conditionality is based on the cost-benefit analysis and provides the Partner countries with external incentives to undertake costly and less costly reforms.

The research will analyze the modes of conditionality in EU-Armenia relations and evaluate their influence on Armenian integration capacity. The study has identified the four categories of changes: democracy, economy, governance and acquis (legislative approximation). The research aim is to measure their contribution to the changes in these fields and evaluate how progressive this transformation was.