The REDEMOS project will host a dedicated panel at the ECPR General Conference 2025, which will take place from 26 to 29 August 2025 at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Organised under the section “European Integration at a Crossroads”, the panel, titled (Mis)matched Encounters in EU Democracy Support: Beyond Gaps in EU Foreign Policy, aims to critically explore the challenges and opportunities of EU democracy support in its eastern neighbourhood. The session will be held in person on Tuesday, 26 August 2025, from 10:45 to 12:30 EEST, at the Polytechnic School, Floor 0, Room Wing B 5.39.
Chaired by Dr Madalina Dobrescu from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, with co-chair Professor Tina Freyburg from the University of St Gallen, and discussant Dr Ragnar Weilandt, also from NTNU Trondheim, the panel brings together scholars with extensive expertise in EU external relations and democracy support. Their collective contribution will help reassess conventional interpretations of EU foreign policy and encourage a more constructive engagement with the tensions inherent in democratic promotion.
Panel objectives
The panel reflects REDEMOS’s commitment to examining how the European Union’s democracy support agenda is understood, implemented, and received, particularly in light of recent political developments. It introduces a new approach, focusing on the concept of (mis)match to capture the fluidity of both divergence and convergence in EU policy-making. Additionally, it is particularly interested in ideational and performance (mis)matches, where contestation, negotiation and compromise may shape EU foreign policy. By mapping various (mis)matches, the panel seeks to explore how these dynamics influence EU democracy support and broader foreign policy effectiveness.
Paper titles and authors
The panel will showcase five papers that explore (mis)matches from different thematic and geographic perspectives:
- “Beyond Declarations: Examining the Mismatch in the EU’s Democracy Promotion Efforts in Eastern Europe” by Tina Freyburg (University of St Gallen), Madalina Dobrescu (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Anastasiia Vlasenko (Kyiv School of Economics)
- “Contested Visions: Elite Conceptions of Democracy in the EU Eastern Neighborhood” by Tina Freyburg, Alexander Geisler, and Ioannis Vergioglou (all from the University of St Gallen)
- “Aligning Agendas: Assessing the EU’s ‘Good Governance’ Strategy and Local Needs in the Eastern Neighbourhood” by Theofanis Exadaktylos and Amelia Hadfield from the University of Surrey
- “Attitudes Towards Georgia’s EU Membership: Towards a Better Understanding of Popular Support and Opposition to EU Accession in Georgia” by Tamar Khoshtaria from Ilia State University
- “Assessing EU Democracy Support (Mis)matches in the Eastern Neighborhood: A Framework for Consistency, Cohesion and Coherence” by Arusyak Aleksanyan, Valentina Gevorgyan, and Ashot Aleksanyan from Yerevan State University.
Participants attending this panel will gain a deeper understanding of the evolving dynamics and challenges of EU democracy support in the eastern neighbourhood. The panel will explore the complex cohabitation of (mis)matching trends, investigate how (mis)matches are managed, negotiated, abandoned or resolved, and explore the opportunities for co-creating policy between the EU and external partners. The discussion will provide valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers interested in foreign policy coherence, democratic resilience, and the future of EU democracy support beyond its borders.
