Spațiul european în contextul noilor procese de extindere geopolitică [Articol]

Abstract

In the context of the new geopolitical realities unfolding across the European continent—particularly triggered by the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war on February24, 2022—the European integration process has acquired a new dynamic, leading to the strengthening and acceleration of the European Union’s relations with the Western Balkan states, as well as with Eastern European countries, notably Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. In recent decades, European integration has become a topic of strategic interest, supported by the expressed desire of nine countries in this region to join the European Union. However, this process is not without challenges, and the pace of progress varies depending on each state’s political, institutional, and economic context. Accordingly, the main objective of this article is to analyze the current status of countries holding EU candidate status, by assessing their level of preparedness for integration and identifying the main challenges they face throughout this process.