EUROPEAN INTEGRATION OF UKRAINE

УДК 339.924

Вернигора А.Р., студентка 1 року ОС магістр
ХНЕУ ім. С. Кузнеця

The integration of Ukraine into Europe is a very attractive destination for the young European state. Therefore, one of the most urgent tasks of Ukraine is the associated membership in the European Union.So far, modernization, democratization and European integration haveconvergent phenomena.

Ukraine’s relations with Europe’s largest integration alliance, the European Union, require a special strategy. This is explained by the fact that the image of modern Europe is mainly determined by integration processes that unite 15 states into the European community. The EU does not have anyanalogues in the world [1].

A purely economic perspective cannot answer the many questions posed by the new integration process. It would indeed be difficult to defend, in the face of public opinion, a project that would not take into account the peculiarities of each country or region and which would be systematically favorable to the strongest. However, this may be theinevitable tendency if the “market” is left to settle regional or national imbalances.

The relevance of this article is determined by the importance of Ukraine is joining the European Union.Ukrainian citizens have consistently demanded reforms in their country for a better and more prosperous future for themselves and for future generations. The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area it provides, has been in force since 1 September 2017 and meets these requirements.

A historical perspective of the opening process of the Ukrainian economy confirms a tendency towards convergence with the European reality. However, this path appears long and difficult, and the delay of Ukraine is still considerable in many key sectors.

Although efforts to improve the business climate in Ukraine, by controlling corruption and eliminating protectionist measures, should be further pursued, the full implementation of the agreement, together with the continued progress made by Ukraine in carrying out its reform program, has already brought significant benefits to the Ukrainian population as well as to EU citizens:

  • the standards that Ukraine has met to achieve a visa-free regime for short-term stays of its citizens in the EU have been maintained, allowing over 500 000 people to benefit from this opportunity and brings people closer to Ukraine and the EU;
  • Ukraine has launched major reforms in health, pensions and education to improve the living standards of its citizens;
  • decentralization has resulted in the amalgamation and reform of more than 700 local authorities in Ukraine, enabling their inhabitants to benefit from increased budgetary resources and better public services;
  • thanks to economic reforms, the overall volume of trade between the EU and Ukraine increased by almost 25% in 2017, creating jobs and increasing prosperity across the EU free trade Area [2].

It remains to be seen whether social, economic and political transformations can create the new values and the industrial discipline required for full integration within the EU.

For Ukrainians, the most visible changes are manifested in theprofound improvement of the country’s physical infrastructure. Ukrainians would like to have a transport system (roads,railways, airports, etc.) which would promote a real “articulation” of the national whole and create the necessary bases for the balanced development of the different regions. In the same sense, investments in educational infrastructures, in the fields of public health, telecommunications, the environment, etc., could also be mentioned.

Moreover, far from posing a problem, this fact can rather help the Ukrainian industryto face one of the biggest challenges of the new stage of integrationEuropean. In fact, over the last three years, there has been a certainchange in the external behavior of the economy.through the external investment plan, the EU intends to strengthen investment support, including the reform contract for investment.

There is, however, one area where the EU could provide Ukraine with substantial support, one which could, in effect, fundamentally change the way the country functions and bring tangible results that its citizens would certainly take notice of – the rule of law [3].

Thus, it should be concluded that the problem of Ukraine’s entry, like any other country, into the EU is a very complex matter. Obviously, at this stage, the European Union is not in a hurry to undertake obligations to open the door to Ukraine, due to a poorly developed economy. In addition, it must be realized that the policy of the European Union today is largely determined by the increasing security problems caused by political instability on the European continent, and existing and potential regional conflicts. Therefore, under these conditions, the entirely natural interest of the EU in Ukraine is mostly of a political nature, and Ukraine itself is considered, above all, as a strategic foothold on the European continent.

Today, Ukraine, which is following the European path, needs to work on two problems: reformist steps and a clear outline of Ukraine-EU relations and the solution of common problems.

REFERENCES

  1. Bendersky Yu. The Realities of World Economic Processes and Their Place in Ukraine // Economics of Ukraine. – 2010. – No. 1. – Pp. 70-75.

  2. Dragneva R.The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the challenges ofinter-regionalism. / R. Dragneva, K. Wolczuk // Review of Central and East European Law. – 2015. – No. 39(3-4) – 213-244.

  3. Emerson M. Deepening EU-Ukrainian Relations. What, Why and How? – Brussels, London, Kyiv: Centre for European Policy Studies, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, Rowman& Littlefield International, 2016. – 254 p.

Науковий керівник

старший викладач Михайлова Л.З.