EU som demokratifrämjande aktör i Ukraina : En kvalitativ teorikonsumerande fallstudie om ENP:s inverkan på Ukrainas demokratiutveckling 2009-2020

Ukraine is a state that has been characterized by authoritarian trends for a long time. This is due to political division. The political regime in Ukraine has consequently been influenced by pro-Russian and pro-European actors. A minority of Ukrainan population has a desire to join Russia, while the majority of the Ukrainan population wants to join the EU. Therefore, this study will examine the influence of the European Neighborhood Policy on Ukraine’s democratic development between the period of 2009 - 2020. By using the theoretical framework of Daniel Silanders thesis “Democracy From the Outside-In? The Conceptualization and Significance of Democracy Promotion” this study has implemented the six democracy-promoting aspects - actors, interets, methods, channels, relations and impact of the ENP in Ukraine. The main result of this study shows that the European Neighborhood Policy has left a major impact in Ukraine with the different instruments that the EU has provided. For instance, the Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). However, Russia’s involvement tends to slow down the democratization process in Ukraine, the geopolitical interests of the EU tend to consider cooperation and the lack of down-top strategies has prevented the civil society from becoming involved in the development of democracy