CURRENT STATUS AND PROSPECTS OF UKRAINIAN EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
УДК 65.712.82
Петраш Д.О., студентка 2 курсу
ХНЕУ ім. С. Кузнеця
Euro integration is a civilized choice of Ukraine, one of the key requirements of the Revolution of Dignity. In the system of foreign policy priorities of Ukraine, it occupies a special place.
While making a speech at the XVII Summit of Ukraine-EU, which took place in Kyiv on April 27, 2015, Ukrainian President P. Poroshenko emphasized that the prospect of the EU membership is a strategic reference point for Ukraine’s aspirations for transformation and a key goal for which reforms are being carried out. It was the first time that Ukraine participated in the summit in the status of the state that has concluded the Association Agreement with the European Union.
For Ukraine, European integration is a way of modernizing its economy, overcoming technological backwardness, attracting foreign investment and new technologies, creating new jobs, improving the competitiveness of the domestic commodity producer, entering the world markets, first of all, and the EU market.
On June 27, 2014, at the meeting of the EU Council, the President of Ukraine P. Poroshenko signed the Agreement on behalf of Ukraine. The Agreement is expected to contribute to reducing corruption, improving consumer protection, increasing the export of Ukrainian goods and services to the EU countries, improving the business climate for small and medium-sized businesses, social policy, education, introducing new environmental control standards, developing the space industry, science, technology and information society.
On September 16, 2014, the Supreme Council of Ukraine and the European Parliament simultaneously ratified the Agreement [1].
Despite the numerous economic and political problems that have been exacerbated by the country’s economic crisis, Ukraine is still trying to implement its own foreign economic strategy based on the European choice, the prospect of joining the EU and the development of bilateral economic relations with France, Italy and Germany.
Its accession to the WTO on May 16, 2008, contributes to further integration, and also enables the following actions to be an important step in Ukraine’s foreign economic strategy: launching a high-level dialogue on energy, transport, science and education; bringing Ukrainian legislation into line with the EU requirements in priority areas; conduct a negotiation process and create a Customs Union between Ukraine and the EU, the purpose of which must undoubtedly be the abolition of customs, legal and technological barriers in this area [2].
According to the statistics of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), about half (from 46% to 53%) of Ukrainians speak for the integration of Ukraine into the EU [3]. However, a number of such events as the dignity revolution of 2013-2014, the military-political conflict with the Russian Federation, the occupation of the Crimea, the instability of the government’s policy of reforms somewhat distort Ukraine’s membership in Europe. The UK finance minister, George Osborne, in March 2016, in an interview with the BBC, expressed the opinion that Turkey, which has been waiting for membership for the next 29 years, will not be able to get it in the near future, as this country has a weak economy. Comparing the European integration efforts of our country with the Turkish developments in this direction, it is possible to conclude that the economy of Turkey exceeds the volume that of Ukrainian by almost five times and GDP per capita in Turkey is $ 9290 compared with $ 2109 in Ukraine [4].
According to the Ambassador of Ukraine in the EU, Hugues Mingarelli, the integration of the Ukrainian economy into the EU market means that Ukraine must be ready to move away all tariff and non-tariff barriers that exist today in trade and investment between Ukraine and the EU.
“Tariff barriers are not the main problem. The main obstacles are non-tariff barriers, technical barriers to trade. And for this, Ukrainian legislation must be aligned with European. It will take years. If we are optimists, we will say that it will take 6-7 years .If realists, and in the light of what we have been doing for the last 20 years in the countries of central Europe, it may take even longer,” the diplomat said [5].
Today falling crisis trends in the economy, the lack of a proper legal framework hamper the progress of Ukraine along the path of market reforms.
Ukraine is not responsible for the current economic indicators of the criteria of the European Union. It will have to approach Western European economic, social and political standards for a long time.
Despite the obstacles, integrative processes will take place, because Ukraine is not only interested in the EU, but also the EU is somewhat interested in the Ukrainian market, but on the condition of solving the problem of poverty, which is now very acute.
European integration is the most decisive factor for both Ukraine’s international activity and its domestic policy for a long-term perspective, strengthens security and positively affects Ukraine’s relations with all countries of the world. The irrevocable realization of the course for integration into the European Union will ensure the guarantees of human rights, the development of civil society in Ukraine, the construction of a socially oriented market economy and enormous material support from the EU.
Therefore, in order to accelerate the integration of Ukraine into the EU, the following priority measures should be taken:
- stopping further social stratification;
- ensuring genuine, not declared, development of entrepreneurship;
- the withdrawal of the economy from the shadow;
- free access to credit, material and information resources, markets for products;
- effective implementation of anti-fraud and corruption legislation;
- strengthening financial control over structural funds and development funds;
- reforming the judicial system, protection of property rights and human rights;
- development of a new foreign economic strategy taking into account the positive and negative factors from the integration of Ukraine into Europe [6].
Collaboration has already begun. For example, in the field of economy, European experts work with Ukrainian colleagues on the transfer of know-how in to company’s management and industrial and agricultural technology. In the field of science and education, the exchange of researchers, teachers and students is organized and common projects are introduced. Cooperation in the areas of management is developing in the spheres such as customs and the fight against crime; documents are exchanged between management in such technical areas as standardization and statistics. Significant amounts of financial grants are allocated to improve nuclear safety and to solve problems related to the consequences of the Chernobyl accident [7].
So, summing up the above, the conclusion is that the question of Ukraine’s entry, like any other country, into the EU is a very complex and complex problem. It is obvious that 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, we must realize that the policy of the European Union today is largely determined by the increasing security problems that are caused by political instability on the European continent, 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.
REFERENCES
Chebanenko O. The main results and problems of implementation of the EU-Ukraine Action Plan // Politics and time – 2007. – No. 3. – P. 24.
British Finance Minister does not see Turkey in the EU in the near future.
Ukraine’s integration into the EU is not on the agenda today.
Shpek R. Ukraine-EU: A Step to Membership // Politics and Time. – 2007. – No. 5. – P. 8.
Foreign economic policy. World Economy // Review Journal. – 2007. – No. 4. – P. 46.
Науковий керівник
старший викладач Михайлова Л.З.