Publication

This paper discusses EU election observation missions (EOMs) as a means to promote democracy abroad. While the methods and techniques of observing elections are well established, the link between the findings of observers and general political follow-up by the EU can be weak, in particular, in cases where observers report significant flaws. This paper argues that the EU should be more coherent in these cases. The EU should also better address deterioration of democratic standards in its own member states, in order to maintain its credibility in this field. Given that the EU promotes a rule-based multilateral world order, it should have every interest in the legitimacy of its partner governments and the upholding of legally binding global standards for elections.