“Pravova derzhava”. Issue 35 (2024), pages 755–762.

DOI: 10.33663/0869-2491-2024-35-755-762

Stoiko Olena
The main theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the enlargement of the European Union

The article identifi es and analyses four main approaches to understanding the enlargement of the European Union, which has evolved from a sporadic practice to a component of the Union's daily activities. In particular, enlargement as a way to a superstate formation, as a response to external challenges, as horizontal institutionalisation and as deteleologisation. The need to accept another group of states, including Ukraine, makes the European Union decide on its future: to become a federation by amending the founding treaties, or to maintain the staus quo, somewhat limiting the veto power of the Member States and opening the way to a multi-speed Europe. In the latter case, the menu for member states will not be limited to admission to the Schengen or Euro area, but will also off er various forms of quasi-political participation in decision-making processes in the EU bodies. The main reasons are the very low level of economic development of the candidate states and the diff erent pace of pro-European reforms, which will make it much more diffi cult to simultaneously accept this group of candidates. The granting of membership to the current candidate states will be dominated by the security factor and will actually mark the culmination of the EU as a geopolitical project, as, given the numerous failures of attempts to integrate immigrants from non-Christian countries, no state outside the European continent will be off ered membership. In addition, the outcome of the RussianUkrainian war — Kyiv's victory or the freezing of the confl ict — will determine not only Ukraine's position in the EU, but also the fate of the Eurasian continent, its division into spheres of infl uence between Brussels and Beijing.

Key words: enlargement, European integration, European Union, institution, democracy, geopolitics.

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