Evolving Opportunities in the EU Accession Process

Abstract

EU accession tends to become the dominant paradigm for domestic policy-making in candidate countries. This situation brings a considerable shift to the political opportunity structure that directly affects civil society actors’ work and requires them to adapt to new circumstances. This chapter connects the context of EU membership negotiations to civil society mobilisation on the ground, tracing developments related to the formal set-up of the EU accession process and to the explicit support provided by the Commission to civil society actors in candidate countries. It discusses how changes in these two areas affect the capacities of CSOs and expand their options regarding venue choice and repertoire. In doing so, this chapter sets the stage for a more detailed analysis of civil society mobilisation in the subsequent country case studies.