Êvropejsʹkij Vektor Ekonomìčnogo Rozvitku (Dec 2023)
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF UKRAINE’S ACCESS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of the possible economic consequences of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union for this organization. Most researchers pay attention first of all to the possible results of Ukraine’s accession to the EU for itself. However, in order to understand the motives of certain opposition of Ukraine’s movement to this organization on the part of some of its members, it is important to assess the results of such accession for the EU and its members. Studies have shown that Ukraine is capable of strengthening the economic and security positions of the European Union. This can be realized through the creation of a defense hub in Ukraine, which will not only produce military products for supply to EU countries, but also provide its own army to protect the borders of the European Union. The undersaturated domestic market of Ukraine can become a driver for the European economy on its way out of the long depression. Cheap, but high-quality and motivated labor force in Ukraine, as well as its proximity to the European market, creates favorable conditions for the relocation of European investments from the countries of Southeast Asia. Ukraine’s natural resources will be able to reduce the dependence of EU countries on external suppliers and create favorable conditions for the development of «green» energy. At the same time, with the accession of Ukraine to the EU and NATO, the length of the border with such a dangerous neighbor as Russia is significantly increasing, which will require additional costs to strengthen it. In order to turn the potential gains from Ukraine’s accession to the EU into reality, significant expenditures on providing assistance to our country are necessary. Since Ukraine has significantly worse economic indicators than other EU countries, with its accession the average indicators for the EU will also deteriorate, which will negatively affect the global image of the organization. We should also not forget about the growing level of competition on European markets in those areas where Ukraine already has significant potential (agriculture, logistics, etc.). Understanding both the potential gains and threats is important for the proper construction of the EU membership strategy. Joint efforts are needed to create favorable conditions for realizing gains and minimizing potential threats.
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