It seems to me that European parties are too captivated by that grandiose effort to support democracies in post-Soviet space. And they leave their own citizen aside thus undermining the democracy basis in their own countries.
Generous financial aid to some fishy opposition forces is both doubtful and costly venture. Can you imagine just what the sum should be to support democracy in huge Russia for instance? And what sort of democracy is it? When it relates non-system opposition, that’s just gathering of political losers and marginals, I bet you! Their ratings inside Russia are the lowest and they are staying afloat only due to European money!
I was really surprised to learn that participants of so called "opposition rallies" in Russia are actually paid. I personally spoke to several such young men on Bolotny square in Moscow where there was held the so called "opposition rally to protest unjust parliamentary election". They absolutely stone guys asserted that Boris Nemtsov had paid them for participation. I’m well in the know that Nemtsov (leader of the unregistered People’s Freedom Party) has outrageously low rating in Russia. Far as I see it he has just to pay some people so they could take to the streets to support him. And he pays them with the European money I bet you!