On 11 July 2024 the Young ECPR Network on Europeanisation (YEN) inaugurated its Online Seminar Series on Europeanisation with a talk by SCRIPTS speaker, Prof. Tanja A. Börzel, entitled: “Transformative power Europe versus subversive Europeanisation: Democratic backsliding in Eastern Europe”.

The talk revisited arguments about Enlargement Europeanisation, discussing why neither the external incentive model (Schimmelfennig) nor differential empowerment (Vachudova) seem to work anymore in promoting or at least protecting democratisation processes in accession countries. The discussion focused on Georgia as a crucial case, where the combination of high public support for EU membership and candidate status has not prevented the Georgian Dream government from undermining democratic institutions and repressing political opposition and civil society.

Also Anastasia Mgaloblishvili, doctoral researcher from Berlin Graduate School of Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS), was invited as Discussant. 

Click on the link below to find out more about the first ECPR YEN webinar on Europeanisation.