Doctor of Economy, Prof., Director of the National Institute of Strategic Studies, Adviser to the President of Ukraine
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The newest turn in the geopolitical strategy of Ukraine is characterized by the greater economic and political cooperation with the future new EU members, primarily countries of the Central Europe forming the so-called Baltic-Black Sea axis; it is considered a principle strategic vector of the nation. It would be a great simplification, if we tried to characterize the reasons for emergence of such a situation by exclusively consideration of the moment: the sudden and abrupt strengthening of the Central European (CE) countries' position that occurred during the Iraqi crisis or the decision of Ukraine to send a military brigade to the Polish sector of Iraq with a mission of post-war stabilization.
I do not deny the importance of what had happened, but actually issues in question are reasons more fundamental and concern the role the countries of the CE, especially Poland, are to play after finally joining the EU in realizing our highest priority-the European integration strategy of this country. One may predict circumstances, under which the future of our relations with the EU would greatly and, possibly, decisively depend on the extent of relations with the CU countries that are presumably to become the primary object of the EU policy. Ukraine will also become one of the targets of this policy, and, properly speaking, depending on our position in the above interaction, the correspondent measured assessment of situation is to be made. Essentially, there is such implication in the European Commission's declaration "The Expanded Europe Neighborhood: New Dimension of Our Relations with Eastern and Southern Neighbors" of March 2003 that largely adds up to the logic mentioned.
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The EU-plus Philosophy
First, about the so-called ambiguities of the EU expansion and possible negative effect of it for this country; this is reminded of from ti ...
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