This thesis discusses the relationship between democratic backsliding and friendship. Therefore, this thesis will focus on the Article 7-procedure, which the European Union can start when a member...Show moreThis thesis discusses the relationship between democratic backsliding and friendship. Therefore, this thesis will focus on the Article 7-procedure, which the European Union can start when a member state persistently violates the rule of law. In 2018, the European Parliament started an Article 7-procedure against Hungary because, according to the European Parliament, Hungary violates the rule of law. A problematic aspect of the Article 7-procedure is that a possible sanction against a member state for violation of the rule of law can only be imposed based on unanimity within the European Council. In addition, Poland and Hungary have indicated that they are friends of each other and therefore would support each other in the Article 7-procedure. For this reason, this thesis will study whether friendship can influence the democratic backsliding of Eastern European members of the European Union. This thesis uses a case study where the Article 7-procedure against Hungary will be studied. Desk research is used to determine whether certain countries are friends of Hungary. These studies have been researched in response to their voting behaviour in the European Parliament on the proposal to start the Article 7-procedure against Hungary. The results of the case study indicate that Bulgaria and Poland are friends with the state of Hungary. The case study shows that these friendships could not prevent the Article 7-procedure from being started, although democratic backsliding is not condition to be friends when both states are becoming less democratic. This required more ‘no’ votes. However, the aspect of friendship can play a role in a later step in the process of the Article 7-procedure. If the European Council does not unanimously agree, the Article 7-procedure will fail. Furthermore, Poland and Hungary have already indicated several times that both countries will support each other against sanctions from the EU. It is therefore unlikely that the European Council will agree unanimously about the Article 7-procedure, because Poland will not assent. It can therefore be concluded that friendship does play a role in the democratic backsliding of Eastern European member states of the EU. As a result, a country will not experience any consequences if a country becomes less democratic and when the country takes measures that go against the democratic values of the EU.Show less
This thesis looks at the relation between the number of embassies a country has abroad and the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment within the respective country. The analysis is based on a Fixed...Show moreThis thesis looks at the relation between the number of embassies a country has abroad and the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment within the respective country. The analysis is based on a Fixed Effects model with panel data from 169 countries collected from 2000 until 2020. There was no public dataset available for the number of embassies. As such, the data for this variable was manually calculated for every single country for every single year. In the analysis it becomes clear that the number of embassies is relevant and significant to determine the FDI inflow. However, the population and the proportion of internet users in a country prove to be more significant and contribute more to the model than the number of embassies. This thesis confirms results from previous research, namely that a broader diplomatic network has a positive effect on trade relations. Its rationale can be found in the new statistical aspects, since it uses a Fixed Effects model, rather than a gravitational model. Moreover, this incorporates both longitudinal and cross-sectional data, whereas previous research solely deployed longitudinal data of one country or cross-sectional data of one year.Show less
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a series of projects spearheaded by China, aiming to establish a global infrastructural network connecting China and Europe, among others. The EU faces the...Show moreThe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a series of projects spearheaded by China, aiming to establish a global infrastructural network connecting China and Europe, among others. The EU faces the reality of an externally initiated attempt to integrate the Chinese and European economies, without being asked for permission. China’s strategy has been a bottom up approach, reaching out to individual EU-member states and their publics with ambitions for bilateral agreements and mutual cooperation. Meanwhile, frictions caused by perceived incompatible political differences have been a source of turbulence for Sino-EU relations for decades. The impact of the BRI on these relations remains obscure, warranting research efforts. This thesis asks specifically how the BRI affects EU foreign policy towards China, using the pathways of connection framework to make inferences. The framework, founded in realism, liberalism and constructivism, takes a relational and practitioner-centred approach. To gather data, explaining-outcome process tracing is employed as a method, trying to provide minimally sufficient evidence to explain the occurrence of the phenomenon under study. The study finds that the BRI affects the EU and EU foreign policy in a broad range of categories, as China rigorously pursues its foreign policy interests. It concludes that Chinese efforts are met negatively by the EU, who in return tries to fortify its defences to prevent the BRI from growing roots on the European continent.Show less
