ABSTRACT
Given the very little cross-fertilisation between the analytical bodies on external and internal European Union (EU) performance, a suitable theoretical "niche" arises for this inquiry. One of the key contributions of this Special Issue is that it systematically examines the performance of EU policies and processes as well as their impact in the "wider" Eastern Europe. To analyse and assess performance is, both in academic and in practical terms, a notoriously challenging task. The concept of performance has been widely used in public policy research to measure performance in public management. In addition, the European Commission has found it more and more difficult to assert its influence in a post-accession setting and struggles to develop instruments that would prevent further democratic back-sliding in Central and Eastern European member-states. The empirical evidence collected by Stefan Roch emphasises how one of EU's main institution-building instruments in the neighbourhood, Twinning, is constrained by the lack of flexibility to adapt to local institutional needs.
