Following-Up on Recommendations of EU Election Observation Missions

Badanie 05-12-2012

This study concludes that recommendations issued by European Union Election Observation Missions (EU EOM) merit substantiation in applicable international and regional obligations, so as to legitimise their follow-up by EU Delegations in country, as well as by relevant European Parliament Standing Delegations. The study suggests that the status of EU EOM recommendations warrants centralized tracking, in order to allow coordinated follow-up and statistical EEAS reporting to European Parliament. The paper further recommends that the pending revision of the Cotonou Agreement should refer to Africa-Caribbean-Pacific-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly resolutions that enshrine electoral commitments. Further, the study suggests that European Parliament task its Election Observation Delegations with scrutinising direct Budget Support vis-à-vis host country adoption of EU EOM recommendations, as benchmarked in political dialogue, and to report findings to relevant EP Committees. The study finds that in turn, European Parliament could maintain a “watch list” of repeat electoral Deep Democracy offenders. As a last resort, European Parliament could resolve to link approval of Development Cooperation Instrument and European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument funds to adoption of those EU EOM recommendations that aim to protect fundamental rights and freedoms.