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<p>The article examines the Eastern Partnership (EaP) as the initiative of the European Union (EU) through the prism of the constructivist concepts of soft power, normative power and transformative power. The research focuses on the assessment of the EU’s transformative strength in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, based on the analysis of declared EU policy goals and instruments and the real results of political reforms in partner countries. The results of the study show that the EaP has little transformative impact and needs further revision. The analysis of empirical indicators in the field of political transformation of the EaP countries shows that since its inception, as well as after the signing of Association Agreements with three countries and the renewal of the European Neighborhood Policy in 2015, no radical changes have been made, and the EU’s influence on the course of reforms has been insignificant. Institutional and geopolitical constraints and challenges that complicate the EU’s ability to influence its eastern neighbours are addressed. The article analyses prospects for strengthening the effectiveness of the EaP in the context of its latest update after 2020.</p>
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The article examines the Eastern Partnership (EaP) as the initiative of the European Union (EU) through the prism of the constructivist concepts of soft power, normative power and transformative power. The research focuses on the assessment of the EU’s transformative strength in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, based on the analysis of declared EU policy goals and instruments and the real results of political reforms in partner countries. The results of the study show that the EaP has little transformative impact and needs further revision. The analysis of empirical indicators in the field of political transformation of the EaP countries shows that since its inception, as well as after the signing of Association Agreements with three countries and the renewal of the European Neighborhood Policy in 2015, no radical changes have been made, and the EU’s influence on the course of reforms has been insignificant. Institutional and geopolitical constraints and challenges that complicate the EU’s ability to influence its eastern neighbours are addressed. The article analyses prospects for strengthening the effectiveness of the EaP in the context of its latest update after 2020.

The European Union’s Transformative Power in the Countries of the Eastern Partnership

Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of International Relations at the National University of Ostroh Academy

PhD in History. He is a Professor at the Department of International Relations at the National University of Ostroh Academy

PhD. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations at the National University of Ostroh Academy

Politics in Central Europe

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The article examines the Eastern Partnership (EaP) as the initiative of the European Union (EU) through the prism of the constructivist concepts of soft power,...

The European Union’s Transformative Power in the Countries of the Eastern Partnership

Published Online: Apr 10, 2022

Page range: 129 - 149

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2022-0006

Keywords
Eastern Partnership, normative power, transformative power, eastern neighbours, transformation

© 2022 Tetiana Sydoruk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The European Union’s Transformative Power in the Countries of the Eastern Partnership

Published Online: Apr 10, 2022

Page range: 129 - 149

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2022-0006

KeywordsEastern Partnership, normative power, transformative power, eastern neighbours, transformation

© 2022 Tetiana Sydoruk et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Eastern Partnership, normative power, transformative power, eastern neighbours, transformation