EU’s assistance of Civil Society to promote democracy within the framework of the EaP The case of Georgia

In the concept of the theory of Europeanisation, the EU uses a bottom-up approach to consolidate democracy processes beyond the European Union. In its Eastern Neighborhood, through the framework of Eastern Partnership (EaP), it attempts to deliver democracy with the help of domestic actors - civil societies (CSOs). The thesis aims to uncover the limitations and effectiveness of the EU democracy promotion in the EaP country - Georgia, with the assistance of civil societies. The research reveals that successful democracy promotion aims to create favorable conditions on the domestic level for civil societies to accelerate the process and create a good connection between citizens and the state. The thesis aims to understand the domestic effects of the EU democracy promotion tools and instruments and investigate limitations that hinder the efficient implementation of the democratization process through the EaP policy. The historical development of the civil societies in Georgia revealed that there are still some problematic aspects that hinder the influence of the EU. On the other side, the Eastern Partnership policy has some potential to fill the existing gap. While the EU is witnessing ineffective direct democracy promotion through its funding and other technical tools, general policy - Eastern Partnership creates more maneuverable room. Therefore, the objective of the dissertation is to unfold the limitations and opportunities of civil societies to promote democracy within the prism of EaP in Georgia. Even if there is still some room for analysis to develop a complete picture of the democratization process, the author aims to answer the main question within this tight framework and create a general picture to understand reality better.