Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses the relevant experience of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs), the relevance of European and Eurasian integration for protecting the rule of law in the post-Soviet space and the constitutional implications and challenges of the Eurasian Economic Union and the new generation of Association Agreements. It includes country-specific reports analysing the influence of the relevant regional integration processes for the constitutional orders of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The experience of Western, liberal-democratic constitutionalism served as a model for the adoption of new constitutions and the establishment of new institutions, most notably Constitutional Courts. The book concludes with a number of general reflections about the evolution of post-Soviet constitutions in light of European and Eurasian integration projects. The countries of CEECs all embarked on a process leading to European Union membership.