Promotion Political conditionality has been institutionalized in many international institutions since the end of the 1990s. These institutions have been making it more explicit the importance of the respect, on the part of its participants, of the Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy, and have been creating mechanisms of control and promotion of these principles. The form how these principles have been institutionalized, and the available instruments to guarantee their compliance, the effective compliance, and its effects upon Member-States varies with each institution. The present article analyses the case of the European Union. Despite the consensus about democratic values among its founding members, it was only in 1997, with the Treaty of Amsterdam, that they became a formal condition to participate in the process of integration. This article addresses firstly, how, and why political conditionality has been institutionalized in the European Union, exploring two factors in particular: the process of enlargement, and specific political crises. In addition, the article inquires whether political conditionality can be considered an effective instrument of democracy promotion. It analyses whether interventions in favor of democracy have a qualitative effect upon domestic governments, in other words, it explores the limits of the use of the political conditionality as an instrument of defense and promotion of democracy.
Regional Integration; European Union; Austria; Democratic Conditionality