<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>The EU as a normative power in Belarus – a critical case</p><p>By Anna Johnsson</p><p>University of Växjö</p><p>School of Social Sciences</p><p>Spring semester 2007</p><p>The European Union’s identity is a much debated topic. Some say it’s a unique actor in the international arena because of the different tools it has at its disposal. Ian Manners claims that the EU is what he calls a normative power. A normative power has the possibilities to influence other actors’ perceptions of what is normal and tries to affect actors’ behavior by diffusing values. Manners defines nine different values that the EU exports and also in what ways it is done.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to examine if and how the EU acts as a normative power in Belarus. Belarus was chosen because it is said to be the last dictatorship left in Europe. It was also chosen as a critical case for the EU’s normative power. To be able to fulfill the purpose of the thesis I have worked with two main questions:</p><p>• What are the normative values the EU is exporting through its contacts with Belarus?</p><p>• In what ways are these values diffused?</p><p>The questions were answered by examining the official EU strategy for Belarus and I found that the values the EU is exporting to Belarus mainly are democracy, human rights, rule of law and sustainable development. Main ways of diffusion were informational diffusion, procedural diffusion and the cultural filter.</p><p>Keywords: Normative power, diffusion of values, the European Union, Belarus</p>

ABSTRACT The EU as a normative power in Belarus – a critical case By Anna Johnsson University of Växjö School of Social Sciences Spring semester 2007 The European Union’s identity is a much debated topic. Some say it’s a unique actor in the international arena because of the different tools it has at its disposal. Ian Manners claims that the EU is what he calls a normative power. A normative power has the possibilities to influence other actors’ perceptions of what is normal and tries to affect actors’ behavior by diffusing values. Manners defines nine different values that the EU exports and also in what ways it is done. The purpose of this thesis is to examine if and how the EU acts as a normative power in Belarus. Belarus was chosen because it is said to be the last dictatorship left in Europe. It was also chosen as a critical case for the EU’s normative power. To be able to fulfill the purpose of the thesis I have worked with two main questions: • What are the normative values the EU is exporting through its contacts with Belarus? • In what ways are these values diffused? The questions were answered by examining the official EU strategy for Belarus and I found that the values the EU is exporting to Belarus mainly are democracy, human rights, rule of law and sustainable development. Main ways of diffusion were informational diffusion, procedural diffusion and the cultural filter. Keywords: Normative power, diffusion of values, the European Union, Belarus