CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2016
| Author | Ahmed, Sherbaz Akhtar |
|---|---|
| Title | A Tale Of Two Interests: The EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area |
| Summary | The Revolution of Dignity of 2013 in Ukraine was arguably born through the decision of the Yanukovych administration to suspend the negotiations and signature of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The political implications of this decision were dire and have changed the very nature of EU-Ukraine and Russian relations. At the same time, Kyiv has since moved closer to Brussels in its trade relations, with the provisional application of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area as of January 2016. This was met with apprehension by Moscow, cancelling their own Free Trade Area with Ukraine as of December 2015. The Ukrainian government, throughout 2014, 2015 and the early stages of 2016 so far, has implemented dozens of reform measures, aimed at the eventual integration of Ukraine with the European Union. This thesis takes the case of Ukraine to highlight a renewed neo-functionalist behaving European Union, to contend that neo-functionalism should be used as a theoretical framework to understand the actions and behaviour of the European Union with partnership states. By analysing the impact of the Association Agreement on Ukraine, it is clear that political motivations drive the economic integration of the two entities, as the economic climate between the EU and Ukraine has been historically unfavourable. By establishing this environment and highlighting the interconnectedness of reforms and economic measures, Ukraine shows as a viable case for renewed neo-functionalist approaches. |
| Supervisor | Balázs, Péter |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2016/ahmed_sherbaz.pdf |
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