THE EUROPEAN UNION: THE HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT AND SIGNIFICANCE FOR UKRAINE
Authors: Boyko Ihor 
Published: July 2023

The article reveals the prerequisites for the formation and development of European integration, reveals the processes of creating the European Union as a new form of European integration, and analyzes the achievements of Ukraine in European integration processes. It is noted that the idea of uniting the peoples and states of Europe has a long history. In various historical periods, European rulers and politicians sought to implement the idea of European unification. The idea of European unity was developed and defended in their writings by philosophers, scientists, religious figures, etc. This idea is based on the principles of territorial and civilizational kinship and unity of Europeans and runs through the entire history of European nations. The formation and development of European integration institutions was the result of the consistent development of the unification process of the countries of Western Europe, which went through several stages in their development. Integration involved an active search for ways and means of political, legal, economic (and in some cases, social and cultural) unification of European states with the aim of establishing their close, first of all, economic cooperation. An important role in integration processes was and continues to be played by the economic basis of the development of states. European integration is based on economic integration, which involves the process of convergence of national economies through the creation of a single economic space for the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor between countries. International economic integration is carried out on the basis of the development of sustainable relationships and the division of labor between national economies, the interaction of their structures at different levels and in different forms. The process of economic integration occurs when two or more countries join together to create a wider economic space. Countries enter into integration agreements with the expectation of economic gain, although they may also pursue political and other goals. Integration associations of various types reached their greatest development in the 20th century. The following regional integration associations of countries are defined by the level of integration: free preferential trade zone, free trade zone, customs union, common market, economic union, etc. As a result of almost 40 years of development of the process of European integration, the European Union was created – an economic and political union that unites 28 independent member states located in Europe. It traces its origins to the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), which were founded by six countries in 1951 and 1958, respectively. In its current form, it exists on the basis of the Treaty on the European Union, signed on February 7, 1992 and in force since November 1, 1993. The member states of the European Union decided to gradually combine their leading technologies and resources and create their future together. During a period of expansion that has lasted for more than 50 years, they have formed a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development, preserving cultural diversity, tolerant attitudes and individual freedoms. The European Union is a unique international entity, as it combines features of an international organization and a state, although formally it is neither one nor the other. The І. Бойко ISSN 2078-4503. Вісник Львівського університету. Серія юридична. 32 2023. Випуск 76 European Union is an association of democratic European countries working together for peace and prosperity. The countries of the European Union have formed joint institutions to which they have delegated part of their decision-making powers. The three main institutions of the European Union are: the European Parliament, which represents the interests of EU citizens and is directly elected by them; the Council of the European Union, representing individual EU countries; the European Commission, representing the interests of the EU as a whole. This institutional triangle produces the policies and laws that apply within the EU. The European Union demonstrates the ways in which countries can successfully pool their economic and political resources for common interests. Contributing to the establishment of security and stability in a broad global aspect, the EU helps to create safer and more favorable living conditions within its own borders. At the same time, the European Union is always ready to share its achievements and values with countries and people outside its borders. The declaration of state independence of Ukraine in 1991 determined the foreign policy orientation of Ukraine in the direction of integration into the European community. The European choice opens up new prospects for Ukraine's cooperation with developed countries, primarily the European continent, economic development, social and intellectual progress, strengthening the state's position in the international coordinate system. For Ukraine, European integration is the optimal way to modernize the economy, attract foreign investments and the latest technologies, increase the competitiveness of Ukrainian producers, and the possibility of entering the single internal market of the European Union.