THE EU MEMBERSHIP EFFECT ON RULE OF LAW DYNAMICS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RULE OF LAW AND CONTROL OF CORRUPTION

It is well known that in terms of economic development theories, most studies in literature revolve around assessing the role that the rule of law or the free market plays in generating development. However, when it comes to analyzing the economic development of the EU, most of the approaches have a clear focus on the rule of law, since every European treaty regards it as a fundamental value. Moreover, the institutionalist approaches in the literature highlight the major role that key institutions, such as the rule of law and control of corruption, play in economic development. In this regard, the current paper aims to analyze the impact of EU membership on the rule of law dynamics, by also paying specific attention to the relationship between the rule of law and control of corruption. The analysis focuses on two groups of Eastern European countries, thirteen EU members and eleven non-EU countries, over a twenty-two year timeframe, from 2000 to 2022. The result shows that the membership of the EU plays a significant role in improving the quality of the rule of law. Moreover, the quality of the rule of law has increased more during the pre-accession period. Notwithstanding, the development of institutions requires more time to see the real effect on economics, this is why we can’t see a strong correlation between the rule of law and control of corruption.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47743/rebs-2024-2-0005