THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND THE WESTERN BALKANS: IMPERATIVES OF NEW GEOPOLITICAL DYNAMICS OF EU ENLARGEMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2024-01-185-204Keywords:
European integration, Russian-Ukrainian war, Western Balkans, EU-Ukraine, geopolitics, EU enlargement policyAbstract
Russia-Ukraine war has moved the process of EU expansion from the “dead point” as a mechanism for stabilizing the borders of the euro bloc. Activation of the negotiation process with a certain prospect of including the countries of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership is considered as a geo- strategic priority of the EU until the end of the current decade. The subject of the study is regularities and challenges of the modern geopolitical dynamics of the expansion of the European Union. The purpose of the article is to as- sess the influence of geopolitical factors, in particular, Russia-Ukraine war, on the EU enlargement policy.
The following results have been obtained: it has been established that the current stage of EU expansion is under the influence of Russian geopolitical revanchism and the desire to restore “spheres of influence” in Europe; the Western Balkans are of geostrategic importance for Europe, and therefore have become the object of interest of many extra-regional autocratic play- ers, such as Russia, China, Turkey; all candidate countries for joining the EU have significant disparities in the degree of integration according to many indicators; the Balkan experience of European integration is accompanied by significant controversies that have slowed EU expansion for decades; against the background of Russian aggression, the current stage of the enlargement policy is accompanied by significant public support for the inclusion of new members.
Conclusions: the current state of EU expansion is determined by geopoliti- cal and security determinants, in the conditions of the global confrontation between the forces of democracy and authoritarianism, it has acquired an imperative character. Geopolitical nature of EU expansion does not negate the need for compliance with the acquis communautaire, but requires reforms
of the European Union itself, which will allow for a more coherent foreign policy and provide a proactive approach to support Ukraine and other mem- bers. Geopolitical nature of the expansion emphasizes the fact that Ukraine is an important asset for Brussels, it is able to ensure the strategic autonomy of the EU, strengthen its identification as a global geopolitical player in the conditions of the formation of a multicentric world.
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