ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive legal analysis of the mechanisms, challenges and consequences of the process of legislative approximation and application of European Union (EU) law in the Eastern neighbourhood of the EU. The process of legislative approximation soon became a core issue on the domestic political agenda of the candidate countries requiring the involvement of various committees and institutions operating at different levels and involving both the legislative, executive and judicial branch. The book aims to clarify the means and instruments of the EUs norm export towards its Eastern neighbourhood. It focuses on the factors affecting the application of EU law by the judiciaries of the Eastern partner states, and assesses to what extent the Union is successful in promoting its legal standards abroad.
