THE COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE CONTEXT OF UKRAINE’S EU MEMBERSHIP PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article examines Ukraine’s Answers to the EU Questionnaire on the Application for Membership in the Chapter Foreign Security and Defense Policy and the European Commission’s Opinion on Ukraine’s application for membership in the European Union. It was found that to understand all the obligations arising for Ukraine in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU, knowledge of the documents defining this policy is necessary, in particular the Treaty on European Union, Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy 2016, as well as the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence of 2022. In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, sanctions policy is gaining particular importance. In this context, it is underway to update sanctions legislation to bring it closer to EU practices. Additional work is needed on preventing and combatting illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition, and explosives. The ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and its related instruments remains an outstanding issue. These issues require increased attention because they will be directly considered during negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the EU. It is proposed to analyze the new Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects, which were established in 2023, and primarily take into account the experience of the war that Russia is waging against Ukraine. Joining the PESCO projects will contribute to the interoperability of the Ukrainian defense forces with similar structures of the EU member states and increase the defense capability of Ukraine. It is proposed to increase the awareness of the citizens of Ukraine regarding the goals and tasks of the European Union in the foreign policy arena, in particular by expanding the study of the problems of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU in higher education institutions of Ukraine.