The paper examines the European Union's democracy promotion policies in Tunisia and Egypt in the 2010s, aimed at promoting democratization. After the Arab Awakening, the EU has undertaken consid- erable efforts to help both states in the process of democratic transition, but the actions of Brussels had a dif- ferent effect. In Tunisia, whose authorities after the 2011 revolution expressed their commitment to democra- cy, the EU assistance played a very constructive although not a decisive role. In Egypt, where the EU found itself in an extremely competitive environment, Brussels failed to promote the country's democratic develop- ment and advance its own agenda. Thus, the EU had to return to a pre-2011 model of relations, based on co- operation with the Arab governments, which were not democratic but capable of ensuring stability in the neighboring region the problems of which tend to spill over directly to Europe.