"The paper analyzes the transformative impact of the European Union (EU) on good governance in East European new member countries. It argues that, since the transformation of these societies is still not fully accomplished and unfolds in parallel to their Europeanization the need emerges to bridge between broader political change theory and Europeanization theory. Quantitative assessments based on governance indicators produced by Freedom House and World Bank show rather modest improvements and often stagnation in the quality of governance over accession years. The illustrative examples ranging from ethnic power-sharing to anticorruption indicate that developments are missing when incentives for strategic actors are lacking. The article finds some evidence of backsliding after accession in some areas and countries. While enlargement remains a powerful incentive motivating change, the article argues that the companion of this political process, assistance policy, needs revisiting and adjustment with a view to further enlargements."

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