This thesis attempts to contribute to the knowledge of parliamentary democracy promotion in the 21st century. Parliamentary democracy promotion is a small but growing component of international democracy assistance. The European Union (EU) has been engaged in international democracy promotion not only in its neighbourhood but also in peripheral states. These efforts have contributed to shaping the EU’s identity as a normative power, devoted to the values of peace, liberty, democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights. This thesis attempts to explore and understand the role of the EU as a Parliamentary Democracy Promoter (PDP) through the Improving Parliamentary Performance in Pakistan (IP3) project from 2012-2016. The detailed case study of the IP3 project gives insights into the EU’s implementation of this project, strategies and policies for overall parliamentary support on the federal level. It also gives insights into the local democratic practices in the supreme legislative body of Pakistan and how the external support from the EU affects the working of parliament on the ground in terms of technical assistance, capacity building, research practices and human resource development.

Primary data in the form of semi-structured interviews and online surveys are collected. The semi-structured interviews are conducted with IP3 Providers and IP3 Recipients in Pakistan over a three month period from January 2018 to March 2018. Two online surveys were conducted with the Young Parliamentary Associates (YPAs) and non-YPAs respectively. Secondary sources such as the EU official documents and relevant literature are also used into the analysis of the primary data. By using thematic analysis and a comparative approach, this thesis finds that the EU should take into consideration social, cultural and political dynamics when supporting the Parliament. There is a need to understand the indigenous standpoint on the efforts of strengthening parliamentary democracy. However, the analysis also finds that the EU has made a flagship initiative in the parliamentary democracy history of Pakistan by inducting into Parliamentary culture the youth under the Young YPA programme. The EU demonstrates its identity projection as a normative power after the changes were introduced in the Pakistan Parliament to involve the youth in the democratic process.