Complying with the European Union's democratic conditionality: Transnational party linkages and regime change in Slovakia, 1993-1998

Since entry to the EU is a lengthy and elaborate process, it allows ample time to observe the practice of democratic conditions in what must be still unconsolidated new regimes. This period invariably lasts around a decade, although conceivably in the case of some countries from Central and Eastern Europe more time may elapse before accession is accomplished. However, applying the notion of democratic conditionality as part of the EU's pre-accession strategy has not been easy. The criteria have been criticised for being very broad, but also as difficult to measure in practice in a way that is cross-nationally valid. Much depends on the determination of new democracies to accede, this providing the EU with a compelling leverage over their elite groups and a possible source of influence over their domestic interests. When new democracies are less than fully committed to EU entry, however, problems may arise. General problems of applying democratic conditionality will first be discussed, and then the case of Slovakia will be examined drawing on elite interviews in the mid and late 1990s with party elites and senior officials in Bratislava as well as some transnational party actors. This case is chosen as, while located in East-Central Europe-the region with the most likely entrants to the EU-Slovakia has presented a deviant example of transition and in doing so has highlighted the problem of political factors in democracy building. It will be used, therefore, to explore the kinds of problems that may face democratic conditionality and in particular the European influences that derive from transnational party activity.