Ukraine’s European Integration in the Context of War

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Ukraine's European Integration in the Context of War

Evangelia Petrychenko*

University of Nicosia

24005,46 Makedonitissas Ave., Nicosia, Cyprus

Alla Sydorchuk

Chernivtsi National University

58012, 2 Kotsyubynsky, Chernivtsi, Ukraine

Anish Trichina

Czech Technical University in Prague

166 36, 1580/3 Jugoslavskych partyzand, Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the need to conduct an investigation of the conditions, features, and prospects of Ukraine's European integration during the war, and an examination of the status of a candidate country for EU membership, granted to it on June 23, 2022. The purpose of the study is to establish the conditions and features of Ukraine's European integration in the context of the war and the problems and requirements that arise on the way to EU membership. Within the framework of the study, the following methods were used: dialectical, historical, and hermeneutical, formal-legal, legal-cognitive, logical, induction and deduction, modelling and system analysis, axiomatic etc. The results of the study are the definition of the main concepts and terms, namely: “European Union”, “European integration”, “status of a candidate for EU membership”; the features and purpose of the activities of European Union are established; the analysis of the European integration process of Ukraine during all the years of its independence is investigated and analysed; the achievements that Ukraine has already accomplished in cooperation with the European Union are clarified; the existing problems and obstacles to joining the European Union are established; the analysis of the features of Ukraine's European integration in the conditions of war is conducted; the features of the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union is investigated and established; the prospects and advantages that arise in connection with granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for membership are established; the tasks and conditions that Ukraine must fulfill to join the EU are investigated and clarified; the experience of countries that have joined the European Union is analysed. The provisions in the study are of practical value primarily for the authorities and authorised persons, whose duties include conducting reforms and performing tasks for European integration of Ukraine

Keywords: candidate country, report, European Commission, SAPO, reforms

Євангелія Петриченко

Університет Шкот

24005, просп. Македонітіссас, 46, м. Нікосія, Кіпр

Алла Сидорчук

Чернівецький національний університет ім. Юрія Федьковича 58012, вул. Коцюбинського, 2, м. Чернівці, Україна

Аніш Трихіна

Чеський технічний університет в Празі

166 36, Югославських Партизанів, 1580/3, м. Прага, Чехія

Євроінтеграція України в умовах війни

Анотація. Актуальність статті зумовлена необхідністю проведення дослідження умов, особливостей та перспектив європейської інтеграції України під час війни, а також дослідження статусу країни-кандидата в членство ЄС, наданого їй 23 червня 2022 року. Мета статті полягає у встановлені умов та особливостей євроінтеграції України в умовах війни та проблеми і вимоги, які виникають на шляху до членства в ЄС. У межах роботи були використані наступні методи: діалектичний, історичний та герменевтичний, формально-юридичний, правопізнавальний, логічний метод, метод індукції та дедукції, моделювання та системного аналізу, аксіоматичний та інші. Результатами статті є визначення основних понять та термінів, а саме: «Європейський Союз», «євроінтеграція», «статус кандидата на вступ до ЄС»; встановлено особливості та мету діяльності Європейського Союзу; досліджено та проведено аналіз євроінтеграційного процесу України протягом всіх років її незалежності; з'ясування досягнень, які Україна вже досягнула у співпраці із Європейським Союзом; встановлено наявні проблеми та перешкоди для вступу у Європейський Союз; здійснено аналіз особливостей європейської інтеграції України в умовах війни; досліджено та встановлено особливості статусу кандидатства на членство в Європейському Союзі; встановлено перспективи та переваги, які виникають у зв'язку із наданням Україні статусу країни-кандидата на вступ до Європейського Союзу; досліджено та з'ясовано завдання та умови, які повинна виконати Україна для вступу в ЄС; проаналізовано досвід країн, які приєдналися до Європейського Союзу. Положення, які закріплені у статті становлять практичну цінність насамперед для органів влади та уповноважених осіб, до обов'язків яких належить проведення реформ та виконання завдань для євроінтеграції України

Ключові слова: країна-кандидат, звіт, Європейська Комісія, САП, реформи european commission reform report

Introduction

The modern world order and the development of countries require improvement of integration processes (creation of new and expansion of existing associations). The European Union (hereinafter referred to as the EU), which unites the countries of Europe, is of great importance, namely economic, commercial, industrial, etc. The last expansion of the EU took place in 2013 when Croatia joined the Union [1]. As Teemu Makkonen and Timo Mice state, “The achievement of collaboration (between regional, national, or continental) scientific systems has been discussed in the academic literature for decades” [2].

According to the study by A. Goliutak, the majority of Ukrainian citizens support the European integration course, as they believe that membership in the European Union will improve their living conditions, provide an opportunity to find a better job, and also contribute to the development of all fields of life [3]. In addition, as A.Tereshchuk, adviser to Ilyashev & Partners law firm, notes: “Relations between Ukraine and the EU were established back in December 1991, when the EU officially recognised Ukraine's independence. Ukraine's policy on the development of relations with the EU is implemented based on the Law of Ukraine of July 1, 2010 “On the principles of internal and foreign policy”, which establishes one of the main principles of foreign policy integration of Ukraine into the European political, economic, and legal space for the purpose of acquiring EU membership” [4].In 1991, Ukraine gained independence. The Constitution of

Ukraine stipulates the following provision, according to which Ukraine is an independent and democratic state [5]. After the declaration of independence, Ukraine set a course to become an equal member of the EU. Throughout the entire period of independence, Ukraine has repeatedly made attempts. 2014 was marked for Ukraine by the struggle for European integration, which led to the Maidan and military operations [6]. Since the beginning of hostilities, the European Union has had to take a pause on the issue of Ukraine's accession to the EU. However, despite all the problems, millions of Ukrainians have expressed a desire to become full members of the European Union.

As noted by L. Dzhigovska in her work, “The role of the EU in settling the situation in Ukraine. Materials of the student debate”, “Today, the war on the territory of Ukraine is a very relevant subject since it concerns not only Ukraine but the whole Europe” [7]. This statement is also confirmed by Giuseppe Fama and Lisa Muziol in their report, namely: “Russia's invasion of Ukraine is the most serious security crisis in Europe in a decade, which prompted the EU to make unprecedented decisions on security, defence, and EU expansion. The broader formation of EU external activities has also begun, opening up new issues for Brussels and member states” [8].

8 years after the occupation of Crimea and the beginning of the military conflict in the East of Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a large-scale military invasion of the entire territory of Ukraine. According to a report by the European Commission at the end of June 2022, about 7 million people left Ukraine fleeing military operations and another 8 million were registered as internally displaced persons [9]. During the entire war, the European Union has provided and continues to provide Ukraine with substantial support (financial, economic, humanitarian, etc.). EU support was expressed in substantial political decisions, sanctions imposed, and financial support. Ukraine's accession to the European Union is great potential for the development of the economy, social, industrial, trade, and other fields. Thus, it is one of the most important tools for building the rule of law, developing democratic values and protecting national interests, and therefore the main task of Ukraine. By becoming a full member of the European Union, Ukraine will increase its credibility in the international arena.

The war started by the Russian Federation has made its own adjustments to Ukraine's European integration. The war caused great economic damage to Ukraine and pushed the European Union to make serious geopolitical decisions. Thus, compared to 2014, the EU has become more radical and resolute in its decisions, and more united in supporting Ukraine on its path to EU membership.

On February 28, 2022, the president of Ukraine submitted an application for membership in the European Union on behalf of the entire people of Ukraine under a simplified procedure, and on June 23, 2022, the leaders of all EU countries granted Ukraine the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union [10]. By providing the candidate's status, the EU confirmed its position on the desire to see Ukraine as part of the European Union. It was a truly historic and important decision for Ukraine, which provided both advantages and new prospects, and set Ukraine a number of tasks and reforms.

In the scientific literature, the issue of “European integration of Ukraine in the conditions of war” has been investigated since 2014 with the outbreak of hostilities in the East of Ukraine, however, the problems of joining the EU after the start of a full-scale war in 2022 are not sufficiently investigated by researchers, although Ukraine's entry into the European Union itself has been the subject of study by many researchers, including: A. Voytsikhovskyi [11], V. Dudkevich [12], G. Dergacheva [6], and others. Based on the above, the author of the study will conduct an investigation of the features, conditions, and prospects of Ukraine's European integration in the conditions of war.

The main objectives of the study are:

- examination of problems and implemented reforms on the way to EU membership;

- establishment of the specific features and main purpose of the European Union's activities;

- analysis of the stages and work done on the way to joining the European Union;

- analysis of joining the European Union in conditions of war;

- identification of the specific features and advantages of the EU candidate status;

- tracing the experience of countries that have joined the European Union.

Thus, the purpose of the study is to identify the areas and features of Ukraine's movement towards EU membership. The relevance of the study is due to the need to investigate the European integration processes of Ukraine during a full-scale war. The originality of the study is the subject itself because with Ukraine obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership, it became necessary to investigate the specific features of the process.

Materials and Methods

During the study, a number of methods of scientific knowledge were used. It was based on general scientific and special methods of cognition. The main research methods are logical, dialectical, and formal legal methods. Thus, using the dialectical method, an analysis of the stages and features of Ukraine's attempts to join the European Union was conducted. The historical method was used to clarify the points and processes that were implemented by Ukraine to join the EU. The use of the hermeneutical method enabled the interpretation of the texts of normative legal acts and scientific materials of foreign origin for the investigation of Ukraine's European integration into the EU.

The legal recognition method consisted in using methods and techniques of cognition, ideas to achieve a scientific result. Based on this method, the features and requirements that a candidate country for membership in the European Union must meet were highlighted. Using the formal-legal method, the main requirements and tasks that are necessary for Ukraine's membership in the EU were established. The logical method was used to cover and highlight the features of the concepts that were indicated in the study, namely the concepts of “European Union”, “European integration”, “status of a candidate country for EU membership”.

An effective method of studying the subject of the study is the axiomatic method, through the use of which the European integration process of Ukraine in war conditions was analysed. The use of the systematic research method enabled the analysis of the fundamental concepts mentioned in the study, helped in clarifying the status of the candidate for EU membership, and also through this method, the problems and prospects of accession of Ukraine to the European Union in war conditions were established.

Quite an important role in the study of the material was played by the synthesis method, which consisted in studying the achievements of countries that are full members of the European Union. The system-structural approach allowed investigating the main problems that arise during European integration of Ukraine. Using the comparative legal method, the achievements of the countries that have become full members of the EU (the Baltic states, Poland, Croatia) were clarified. The modelling method was used to identify the main challenges that Ukraine faces for full EU membership. The structural-functional method was used to identify the advantages of the EU candidate status granted to Ukraine.

Statistical and sociological methods were used to investigate and justify the feasibility of membership in the European Union. The argumentation method was used to justify the truth of the judgments indicated in the study. The system analysis method was used to draw conclusions based on the results of the study. An axiomatic method was also effective, through the use of which the main conditions that Ukraine must meet for EU membership were analysed. By using such methods of scientific knowledge as the laws of formal logic, and, accordingly, such methods as induction, deduction, and analysis, the essence of the main concepts of the study was determined.

Results

The concept of “European integration” should be understood as the rapprochement of a particular country with the European Union. “European integration” is a new concept and phenomenon that appeared in the 20^th century. Ukraine's membership in the European Union is the beginning of life according to new standards, and new opportunities for students, entrepreneurs, product manufacturers, etc. Today, all state and local authorities are working together for Ukraine's early accession to the EU.

The European Union is a political and economic union that includes countries that have united based on common democratic values to achieve peace, stability, and development [13]. The European Union is the successor to the European coal and steel community and protects and adheres to the values embedded by the European Economic Community. Today, the European Union consists of 27 countries and is in the process of expansion, as a considerable number of states (potential members) have the status of a candidate for EU membership. During its existence, the European Union has become the most influential association that plays a substantial role in the global economy, culture, and politics.

Ukraine's membership in the EU will provide it with the following benefits: developing democracy and stability;

fighting corruption; reforming the judiciary; improving the quality of goods and reducing prices; protecting human rights in existing institutions of the European Union; social guarantees; increasing employment opportunities and educational services. Among the positive consequences and benefits of Ukraine's membership in the EU, it is also necessary to highlight: economic: the emergence of new markets for Ukrainian producers, economic stability, reduction of customs tariffs, etc.; political: involvement in the collective security of the EU and ensuring the inviolability of Ukraine and the prevention of conflicts in this regard; social: maximum guarantee of compliance with the rule of law and the guarantee and protection of human rights [14]. EU membership will provide Ukraine with the opportunity to join the common sales and trade market of the European Union and introduce a common EU currency in Ukraine.

For many years, Ukraine was located between the European Union and the Russian Federation as a so-called “buffer zone” [15]. Ukraine's geopolitical uncertainty has led to an increased level of conflict. Understanding the efforts and progress made by Ukraine to join the EU, the Russian Federation tried its best to keep Ukraine within its political, economic, and other influence. This can be explained by the fact that: Ukraine provides the Russian Federation with its history, and its “imperialism”; Ukraine is a favourable economic partner for Russia; the use by the Russian Federation of a favourable transit position, which is due to the location of Ukraine on the world map; Ukraine can provide an unnecessary for the authoritarian political system of Russia an “overflow” of democracy, which threatens the stability of undemocratic political regimes of post-Soviet countries [12].

The European Union has been and remains one of Ukraine's most important partners, especially after the start of the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation. From the first days of the war, the European Union strongly condemns the full-scale invasion and military operations on the territory of Ukraine launched by the Russian Federation. As the European Council notes: “EU strongly condemns the decision of the Russian Federation to recognise the non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, and Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.” In response to the full-scale war, the European Union adopted six packages of sanctions against Russia [16].

The first attempts on the path of EU membership were made by Ukraine in 1994. It was in 1994 that the partnership and cooperation agreement was signed, which consolidated the first steps towards EU membership [17]. A new stage of cooperation between the EU and Ukraine began after the signing of the Association agreement [18] (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement). The signing of the above-mentioned agreement led to the struggle for Ukraine's European integration path (Revolution of dignity). The agreement was ratified in 2014, but only in 2017 it entered into full force [18]. The Agreement consists of two parts - political and economic.

The signing of the Agreement was an important stage on the way to concluding an agreement on accession of Ukraine to the European Union and is also the largest

international legal act that was concluded by the European Union with a third country [18]. The purpose of the association Agreement is expressed in: 1) the European integration of Ukraine and 2) the development of Ukraine [19]. The main goal, which is enshrined in the association agreement, is to: “Promote gradual rapprochement between Ukraine and the EU, based on common values and close privileged ties, deepen Ukraine's involvement in EU policies, programmes, and agencies” [18].

According to the Constituent documents of the European Union (the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, the Treaty of Rome of 1957, the Copenhagen Treaty of the European Council of 1993), there are 5 main groups of requirements for candidates for EU membership, namely: 1) the economic criterion (effective national market economy); 2) the geographical criterion (each candidate country must belong geographically to Europe); 3) the political criterion (the candidate country for EU membership must fully comply with the principles of democracy, the rule of law, respect and guarantee of human rights, the principle of decentralisation and electability, etc.); 4) the criterion of institutionality; 5) the criterion of the ability to absorb new EU members [12].

Cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union today is expressed in the following achievements: granting Ukraine the status of a country with a market economy; an agreement was signed between Ukraine and the European coal and steel community on trade in steel products [20]; an agreement on involvement in the COSME programme (Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) was ratified [21]; an Agreement on Common Aviation Space [22]; Ukraine's membership and involvement in the “energy EU” were started [14]. Another achievement of Ukraine on the way to membership in the European Union was the granting of a visa-free regime for Ukraine to enter the countries of the Schengen area.

During the war, Ukraine, represented by the president of Ukraine, the prime minister, and the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, applied for Ukraine's membership in the EU on February 28 [23] (hereinafter referred to as the Application). Thus, the statement stated: “Ukraine respects the values enshrined in article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, and has the honour to apply for membership in accordance with article 49 of this Treaty. Ukraine, paying such a huge price for the European choice and security of Europe, will be able to go through this path” [24]. This was a new stage in the path of Ukraine's European integration process.

After submitting an application for EU membership, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, passed a questionnaire to the President of Ukraine, which Ukraine spent less than a month completing. On June 17, 2022, the European Commission made recommendations on granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership but under certain conditions, namely, the implementation of certain reforms in the fight against corruption, ensuring the rule of law, respect for fundamental rights, etc. [10].

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the status of candidates of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, which also applied for EU membership, where they noted that these countries adhere to and demonstrate a desire to join the European Union, and EU membership should take place in accordance with the Copenhagen Criteria [10]. On June 23, 2022, Ukraine was officially granted the status of a candidate for EU membership. The term “status of a candidate for EU membership” should be understood as the status granted to a state that seeks to become a full member of the EU. Until June 23, 2022, 5 countries had the status of EU candidate countries, namely: Turkey (since 1999), Montenegro (since 2010), Albania (since 2014), North Macedonia (since 2005), Serbia (since 2012) [25]. In addition to these countries, Bosnia and Hersegovina and Kosovo have the status of potential EU member states. During a meeting with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv in June 2022, President of Ukraine V. Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine, in cooperation with the European Union, will be able to quickly restore the state and eliminate the consequences caused by the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation [26].

Ukraine expects to become an equal and full member of the EU by the end of the 2020s, but there are a number of tasks that Ukraine needs to solve, and which may block its accession to the EU. In particular, one of the factors on the way to membership in the European Union is the war started by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and the demographic indicator, since the population of Ukraine is approximately 40 million people, and the geographical location of Ukraine (a substantial part of the territory borders with Russia and Belarus). In addition, a substantial role in joining the EU can be played by the position of other countries (Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, etc.), which have been in the status of candidates for a long time.

After applying for membership in the European Union and obtaining a candidate for EU membership, Ukraine will need to take a number of the following steps: complete a number of tasks and implement reforms, negotiate, agree, and approve the accession treaty, which then has to be approved by the European Parliament and the European Council, and after the official signing, the accession treaty has yet to be ratified by all EU member states and Ukraine in accordance with their constitutional norms, etc. [27]. An important step in the process of European integration should be a decision on the process of negotiations with Ukraine on membership in the European Union. It is necessary for the European Commission to adopt a positive report on the results achieved by Ukraine on the implementation of 7 key tasks that the European Union highlighted when granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country to start the relevant negotiations, namely: reforming the Constitutional Court; appointing the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (hereinafter referred to as the SAPO); implementing an anti-oligarchic law; making changes to the legislation on national minorities; - implementation of judicial reform; implementation of anti-money laundering measures; fight against corruption [28].

Today, Ukraine faces two main challenges to joining the European Union. The first is the war started by the Russian Federation because it is difficult to fulfil the conditions and conduct reforms while at war. The second challenge is the position of the EU member states since even after granting Ukraine candidate status, not all EU countries share the same opinion on the timing of Ukraine's accession to the EU. It is necessary to understand that Ukraine's entry into the European Union is also necessary for the EU since Ukraine has a rich economic and industrial potential that can strengthen the European Union.

As noted above, Ukraine needs to fulfil 7 key tasks to join the EU, the main ones being the appointment of the head of the SAPO. Thus, today, in the conditions of war, the European Union allocates substantial financial support to Ukraine, so in this regard, Ukraine's European partners want to see that anti-corruption bodies exist and properly and effectively exercise their powers. The Competition Commission, which was specially created to elect the head of the SAPO, approved the results of the competition, according to which the detective of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau O. Klymenko was chosen as the winner, which means that he should become the next head of the SAPO after approval by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The newly appointed Prosecutor General of Ukraine, A. Kostin, approved O. Klymenko as the head of SAPO [29]. Thus, Ukraine is moving step by step, in the conditions of war, towards EU membership, implementing reforms and fulfilling the tasks provided by the European Commission.

Discussion

Such researchers as K. Adenauer and Zh. Monnet in their writings noted that “Europeanism” is the main idea of the century and requires European citizens to combine efforts, knowledge, and experience to achieve common interests [12]. The concept of “Europeanism” should be understood as a political doctrine, the essence of which is that all Europeans have common traditions and values that go beyond national identity.

Ukraine's European integration course is an integral part of political, economic, and social choice. This statement is supported both by the author and by other researchers who have investigated this issue. As A. Tereshchuk notes, Voytsikhovskyi notes in his work, “Ukraine on the way to European integration: current state and prospects”: “Ukraine's course towards European integration is a consequence of its independence. The origins of Ukraine's European integration are the history of the Ukrainian people and awareness of the right to live in a democratic, economically developed, socially oriented country” [11].

E. Teise believes that Ukraine's path to full EU membership is a task for generations to come, as post-war reconstruction will be necessary, which may complicate EU membership and make it even more difficult than it was before the war, given the challenges in the reform process [30].

Among the processes and reasons that hinder the process of Ukraine's accession to the EU, the following should be highlighted: delaying the reform process; the position among Ukrainian politicians regarding the foreign policy and foreign economic course; a substantial level of corruption in Ukraine; a substantial duration of negotiation and consultation processes; etc. [31].

According to V. Dudkevich: “Despite the fact that in the resolution of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR of December 25, 1990, “On the implementation of the Declaration on state sovereignty of Ukraine in the field of External Relations”, the European integration area of Ukraine to the EU was fixed, the first real steps towards unification with the European Union were implemented only in 2004 during the Orange Revolution” [12].

L. Dzhigovska noted that the European Union has been supporting Ukraine since the first days of the conflict, especially in the humanitarian field, and announced its intentions to continue providing support in various fields of life [7]. In addition to humanitarian assistance, the European Union and EU countries also provide financial and investment support. As noted by N. Kushvara in her study “EU investment support as a tool to fight the war in eastern Ukraine”: “To provide Ukraine with military equipment to protect the territorial integrity and fight the war, a sustainable economy is necessary, which is impossible in war conditions. It is due to the EU's investment assistance that Ukraine can embark on a sustainable path of development” [27].

As for the prospects of Ukraine's accession to the European Union, it will be extremely difficult to do this during the war, since it is influenced by a number of factors mentioned above, in particular, military actions. In addition, the admission process itself will be quite complex and time-consuming. After granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country, a number of specific actions need to be taken. As A. Tereshchuk notes, It will be difficult to negotiate membership in the European Union: “The main goal of the rather gruelling negotiations is to bring the candidate country as close as possible to all the rules, legislation, and political structures of the EU. After the discussion of all 35 sections is completed, a draft accession agreement is drawn up. The text must be unanimously ratified by the Council and all national parliaments of each EU member state, and by a majority vote in the European Parliament” [27]. According to the author, successful negotiations last up to five years, but experience shows that some countries can be in the status of a candidate country for decades. There are opinions among researchers, experts, and legal professionals that Ukraine's accession to the European Union will be long and difficult. There are even those who express the opinion that Ukraine's accession will take longer than Turkey, which has been a potential candidate for EU membership since 1999 [32]. According to the author, Ukraine should not put the experience of Turkey as an example, because Turkey's accession to the EU is in the process of pause since Turkey does not comply with the requirements for ensuring the rule of law and respect for human rights [33].

As noted by Yu. Masyk, “The experience of the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), and the study of the achievements of these countries after joining, is important for Ukraine's accession to the EU” [31]. Since Ukraine's priority goal is EU membership, it is quite appropriate to investigate the process of the Baltic states'accession to the European Union, because Ukraine has a common history with these countries. Thus, the experience of the Baltic states can help to overcome the difficulties that arise when joining the EU, namely in implementing a number of reforms, in the economic and social field, in the field of state governance, etc. Before joining the European Union, the Baltic states had the lowest economic performance among EU member states. However, after joining the EU and the reforms conducted, there was rapid economic growth, increased investment, improved international image, reduced unemployment, accelerated growth in a number of service sectors, increased net funding revenues from EU institutions, etc [31].

Another example for Ukraine on the way to EU membership is the experience of Croatia, which joined the European Union in 2013. The state-forming process of Croatia is similar to the state-forming process of Ukraine, and in addition, as in Ukraine, there was also a military conflict on the territory of Croatia. After Croatia achieved the victory over Serbia, it became a full member of the EU. However, the process of Croatia's entry into the European Union was difficult, as after winning the conflict, Croatia was accused of violating the rights of Serbian citizens and international humanitarian law [34]. There were many scandals related to the Croatian authorities, in particular, there were accusations of corruption and an economic crisis. The new leadership was able to bring the country out of the post-war isolation regime [34]. Thus, the newly elected leadership conducted a number of economic, political and social reforms that allowed raising the economic level of Croatia and developing the tourism sector, which brought considerable income to the state budget.

It is also appropriate to investigate and consider the achievements of Poland after joining the European Union. Thus, Poland became a member of the European Union in 2004 and almost immediately adapted to the political, economic, social, and other fields of the EU. Poland's GDP has increased 2-fold in just 10 years of being part of the European Union [35]. Polish manufacturers and enterprises have become competitive on an equal basis with other EU members, Polish citizens have the opportunity to work in the EU without any problems, and students - to study and receive scholarships. In the early years, Poland created conditions for attracting investment and, in fact, became a “construction site” of the European Union.

Despite all the difficulties that Ukraine faced in the past and today, namely a full-scale war, membership in the European Union is the desire of Ukraine to develop a democratic country, consolidate the values of the rule of law and respect for human rights, and achieve economic, social, and political development.

Conclusions

The concept of “European integration” should be understood as the entry of a particular country into the European Union. Today, the European Union consists of 27 countries. The last enlargement of the European Union took place in 2013, when Croatia joined the EU. Since the declaration of independence, Ukraine has chosen the path to membership in the European Union.

The “Revolution of dignity”, the occupation of Crimea, military operations in the East of Ukraine, and the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022, finally determined the European integration path of Ukraine. Since the beginning of hostilities in the East of Ukraine and the beginning of a full-scale war, the European Union has supported Ukraine and its sovereignty by providing financial, social, humanitarian assistance, and imposing a number of sanctions against the Russian Federation.

On February 28, the president of Ukraine submitted an application for membership in the European Union, and on June 23, Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU membership. Starting from this moment, Ukraine must fulfil a number of tasks and reforms that were provided by the European Commission and the European Council, which were specified by the author in the framework of this study. Thus, Ukraine's path to the European Union will not be easy, as it is necessary to conduct a number of reforms and bring legislation, economic, political, social, and industrial fields to the standards of the European Union.

Ukraine's European integration in the context of war will be a difficult process, as Ukraine faces a number of obstacles on the way to the EU, namely the war that has begun, which makes it difficult to conduct reforms and fulfil the conditions provided by the European Commission, and the position of individual EU countries that are sceptical about the timing of Ukraine's accession to the European Union, measuring this period in decades. However, during the period of independence, Ukraine has accomplished a number of substantial achievements and every year loses the remnants of the past inherited from USSR. The study also analyses the achievements and prospects that were of other countries after joining the European Union and clearly shows the economic, political, and social development of these countries, namely the Baltic states, Poland, and Croatia.

Granted to Ukraine on June 23, the status of a candidate country for EU membership sets Ukraine both a number of responsibilities and provides a number of advantages regarding the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, improving the economic and social level, increasing jobs, and advantages for enterprises and industry. However, a candidate for EU membership does not mean instant accession to the European Union, since Ukraine, state bodies and the entire people of Ukraine will have to go through a long and difficult path to unite with the EU, namely negotiations and the conclusion and signing of the Treaty on accession to the European Union. It is necessary to fulfil all the requirements provided by both the European Commission and other bodies of the European Union properly and efficiently to join the EU as soon as possible. It is also necessary to conduct studies in the field of respect for human rights and ensuring democracy since these are among the most important components that every EU member state or country wishing to be a full member of the European Union must meet and adhere to.

Thus, the full-scale war launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has shown that Ukraine is already closely cooperating with the European Union. Ukraine's European integration in the context of war will be difficult, however, Ukraine has already begun to fulfil the Ukraine, the people of Ukraine, and the European Union are tasks set by the European Union, in particular, the appoint- working together on the process of Ukraine's membership ment of the head of the SAPO. Currently, all state bodies ofin the EU.

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