The EU's Democratization Discourse and Questions of European Identification

Abstract

Considering EU democracy promotion as an integral part of EU foreign policy, this article discusses the link between the EU's democratization discourse and the social construction of European identity. The narrative pays particular attention to whether the difference in power between the EU and less democratic countries affects European identity formation. The empirical explorations deliver the theoretical argument that the EU establishes an aporetic – contrasting but at the same time constitutive – relationship between a democratic European self and what the EU perceives as less democratic others. The difference in power between these two affects the content and intensity of the EU's democratization discourse, while there is no firm evidence that it directly impacts the process of aporetic identification. The discussion closes with suggestions for future research.