Bryssel-effekten : En kvalitativ fallstudie av rättsstatsutvecklingen i Bulgarien och Rumänien efter EU-medlemskapet

This study investigates how EU membership has influenced the adherence to the rule of law in Bulgaria and Romania through a qualitative comparative case study. The focus is on three central areas: the independence of the judiciary, the fight against corruption, and the fight against organized crime. Using Europeanization theory and power theory, encompassing soft and hard power, the analysis examines how both internal driving forces, such as national political will and norm internalization, and external demands from the EU have affected the willingness to reform and the implementation of legal reforms in Bulgaria and Romania. The results show that the effects of EU membership vary depending on the degree of domestic political will and capacity, where EU pressure has often been an important driving force, but where national conditions and resistance have also limited the impact of reforms. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the interplay between EU influence and national factors in the development of the rule of law in post-communist member states, with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities that exist to ensure long-term and sustainable reforms.