The new patchwork politics of Wider Europe
Political developments across the Wider Europe space increasingly blur the line between European Union and other countries. Trends in democracy have in recent years become more varied and do not divide neatly along a line between EU states and non-EU states. This is one factor that has begun to alter the underlying structure of relations between the EU and the countries of the wider European Neighbourhood. The dynamics of Europeanisation that have long been central to the EU’s external influence have begun to work in different ways. EU policies across the neighbourhood still need to adjust to the emerging patchwork of political trends.