Natalie M. Evolution of the European Union Policy towards the Central and Eastern European Countries.

The Dissertation is devoted to the comprehensive study of the factors that influence the EU political approaches to the development, realisation and evolution of the Eastward enlargement process, as well as to the research of the adaptation potential of the EU and Central and Eastern European Countries to the integration strategies. The author defines the binary character of the enlargement process consequences. On the one hand, the purpose is to strengthen the EU as the power centre in the world politics in line with the zone of stability and security creation within European continent. On the other, EU takes long-term responsibilities concerning the less stable and developed Central and Eastern European Countries and this leads to the mobilisation of the substantial adaptation potential of the EU itself. The work contains some basic stages and peculiarities in the development of the EU Eastward enlargement with the view of enlargement procedures and criteria unification. At the same time, the politics of the EU enlargement has double impact incentives, namely: enlargement as the stimulus for deepening structural transformations and conceptualisation of the CFSP and monetary union, as well as for fundamental changes in the Central and Eastern European Countries. The author presents analysis of the New Wider Europe Strategy concerning the relations with new neighbour-countries and regions in the post-enlargement environment. The analysis of interests, purposes and approaches in the European-Russian dialogue gives the way for the estimation of the Russian factor influence upon the European integration processes in view of developing effective mechanisms of partnership and co-operation within the enlarged Europe. The strategic goal of the Ukraine's foreign policy is to integrate into the EU, in this connection the author gives the propositions for realisation of the gradual integration in the context of adaptation to the new circumstances of the enlarged EU external environment conceptualisation.