The EU's Eastern Border Dilemma: A Sociopolitical Approach to the Case Study of Bulgaria's Post-Accession Experience
Translated title
The EU's Eastern Border Dilemma :A Sociopolitical Approach to the Case Study of Bulgaria's Post-Accession Experience
Author
Lassen, Gry Abildgaard Zaar
Term
4. term
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-05-29
Pages
75
Abstract
Afhandlingen undersøger Bulgariens post-tiltrædelsesforløb med fokus på perioden efter den foreløbige lukning af Samarbejds- og Kontrolmekanismen (CVM) i lyset af protesterne i 2020–21 og den efterfølgende politiske krise. Med det aktuelle sikkerhedspolitiske pres mod EU’s østlige grænse som bagtæppe argumenteres der for, at udvidelse fungerer som et redskab til at stabilisere naboer, men at den hastige optagelse af Bulgarien af geopolitiske årsager efterlod svagheder i styreformer og retsstat. Casestudiet anvender en sociopolitisk tilgang til at analysere, hvordan den bulgarske politiske elite har omformet diskurser om demokratisk styring og sikkerhed på måder, der udfordrer EU’s normative autoritet. Teoretisk bygger analysen på begreberne post-accession hooliganism, ontologisk sikkerhed, (de)sekuritisering og kontra-demokrati, og den kobler identitetspolitik og de-europæisering for at belyse civilsamfundets rolle i repræsentative demokratier. Metodisk gennemføres en kvalitativ casestudieanalyse af politiske identitetsfortællinger og policyhandlingers sociale betydninger. Studiet peger på, at destabilisering af Bulgariens normative rammer er tæt knyttet til offentlig skuffelse over EU-medlemskabet og demokratiseringsprocessens resultater; eksternt påvirkede selvopfattelser former stabiliseringsmål, og anti-demokratiske fortællinger vinder fodfæste, når eliter projicerer negative selvbilleder og afmagt nedefra. På den baggrund foreslås det, at EU prioriterer langsigtet styrkelse af kontra-demokratiske institutioner gennem NGO’er og civilsamfund som centrale tilsyns- og ansvarlighedsmekanismer samt strammere governance-tiltag i for- og eftertiltrædelsesfasen.
This thesis examines Bulgaria’s post-accession trajectory following the provisional closure of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), set against the 2020–21 protest cycle and the ensuing political crisis. Framed by renewed security concerns along the EU’s eastern border, it argues that enlargement operates as a tool to stabilize neighbors, yet Bulgaria’s geopolitically driven, accelerated accession left governance and rule-of-law vulnerabilities. Using a sociopolitical case study approach, the analysis explores how Bulgarian political elites have reshaped democratic governance and security discourses in ways that challenge the EU’s normative authority. The theoretical framework draws on post-accession hooliganism, ontological security, (de)securitization, and counter-democracy, linking identity politics and de-Europeanization to assess the role of civil society in representative democracies. Methodologically, it conducts a qualitative analysis of political identity narratives and the social meanings of policy actions. The study suggests that the destabilization of Bulgaria’s normative frames is closely tied to public disappointment with EU membership and the outcomes of democratization; externally influenced self-perceptions shape civic stabilization goals, and anti-democratic narratives gain traction when elites project negative self-images and perceived bottom-up powerlessness. It therefore recommends that EU policy prioritize the long-term strengthening of counter-democratic institutions via NGOs and civil society as key oversight and accountability mechanisms, alongside tighter governance measures in both pre- and post-accession phases.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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