The idea of EU membership happens to be an objective for many of the post-communist countries. However, this EU accession is not without conditions and it involves a holistic recognition and appraisal of the systemic performance of these countries in terms of evolving as functioning market economies as well as ones which have achieved the “stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy”. This EU accession cum democratic conditionality can be better understood against the backdrop of the push/pull dynamics. Pridham would argue that it is the push over conditionality (these countries are pushed towards the requirement of establishing democracy) and pull of eventual membership (EU accession), which determines this dynamic state of affairs.