Democratization in Central and Eastern Europe

Between December 1991 and June 1996, association or "Europe" agreements were concluded with the following Central and East European countries (CEECs): Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia. This study contains contributions from scholars from these potential member countries of the European Union, assessing the state of democracy in these countries, as a condition of eligibility for EU membership. An important distinction is made between formal (procedural) democracy, and substantive democracy. Unlike formal democracy, substantive democracy is difficult to measure. The weaknesses of substantive democracy are explored in the context of CEECs. The authors conclude that while the CEECs largely meet the formal criteria for democracy, they exhibit various weaknesses in substantive democracy, that is, in democratic political culture.