Аннотация: This work analyses one of the hot topics of the constitutional debate in Europe, - the democratic backslidings in some new EU members States. This is a problem not fully studied by Russian political science and legal doctrine. Although many works of Western research have been devoted to this subject, a general analysis of the political and constitutional causes of this regression is lacking. The author employs a cross-cultural method of legal research that includes a historical approach with multiple political connotations. The innovative features of the article include an outline of the characteristics of the transition to democracy in the Central and Eastern Europe. The author examines European Union's ‘rule of law’ enforcement mechanisms and the reasons for their inefficiency, the major reason for this being the immature system of democratic transition in Central and Eastern Europe. Another significant reason for this is the fetal stage of political culture and vague constitutional framework of new EU members, as well as flaws in their constitutional engineering.

Ключевые слова: Constitutional debate, Eastern Europe, European Union, legal doctrines, democratic norms, political culture, law enforcement, democratic institutions, constitutional framework, constitutional engineering

Аннотация: В статье рассмотрена одна из наиболее злободневных тем конституционных дебатов в Европе, а именно, - отступления от демократических норм в конституциях некоторых новых государств-членов Европейского союза. Эта проблема недостаточно детально изучена как в российской политической науке, так и в российских правовых доктринах. Несмотря на то, что этому вопросу посвящено много различных работ в западной литературе, общий анализ политических и конституционных причин этого заметного регресса отсутствует. Автор использует кросс-культурный метод изучения законодательства, включающий в себя исторический подход с многочисленными политическими коннотациями. Инновационные особенности этой статьи включают характеристику особенностей перехода к демократии в Центральной и Восточной Европе. Рассмотрены механизмы обеспечения правопорядка в странах Европейского союза и причины их недостаточной эффективности, показана причина этой неэффективности, состоящая в незрелости системы демократических институций. Свою роль в этом играют также эмбриональное состояние политической культуры и недостаточно четкие конституционные рамки новых государств-членов ЕС, в том числе, некоторые недостатки в их конституционной инженерии.

Ключевые слова: Конституционные дебаты, Волсточная Европа, Европейский Союз, правовые доктрины, демократические нормы, политическая культура, обеспечение правопорядка, демократические институции, конституционные рамки, конституционная инженерия

Abstract: This work analyses one of the hot topics of the constitutional debate in Europe, - the democratic backslidings in some new EU members States. This is a problem not fully studied by Russian political science and legal doctrine. Although many works of Western research have been devoted to this subject, a general analysis of the political and constitutional causes of this regression is lacking. The author employs a cross-cultural method of legal research that includes a historical approach with multiple political connotations. The innovative features of the article include an outline of the characteristics of the transition to democracy in the Central and Eastern Europe. The author examines European Union's ‘rule of law’ enforcement mechanisms and the reasons for their inefficiency, the major reason for this being the immature system of democratic transition in Central and Eastern Europe. Another significant reason for this is the fetal stage of political culture and vague constitutional framework of new EU members, as well as flaws in their constitutional engineering.

Keywords: Constitutional debate, Eastern Europe, European Union, legal doctrines, democratic norms, political culture, law enforcement, democratic institutions, constitutional framework, constitutional engineering