Europe as a peace project: specifics, achievements, challenges and perspective of the European Union

Abstract

The study of the specific features of the European Union and its future prospects regarding its development and existence is particularly relevant in light of current events such as the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war, which pose significant challenges for the normal functioning of the European Union. This article aims to find out, analyze and reveal the
history of the formation of the European Union, the challenges it has faced, and its prospects for further development and improvement as a unique association of European countries. The main methods employed in this study include: systematic analysis, historical research, forecasting. The findings provide insights into the origins and subsequent formation of the European Union, as well as the functioning of its institutions. The article also examines various challenges that accompanied the development of the European Union and how it addresses them, with particular, focus on the withdrawal of Great Britain, the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and anticipated energy and inflation crises. Additionally, the article discusses prospective scenarios for the further development of the European Union in light of contemporary challenges. In particular, given a historical analysis of the functioning of the European Union, the study proposes potential paths for the Union’s continued existence. The findings contribute to further research in relevant fields such as history, sociology, and law, serving as a valuable reference material for exploring the peculiarities of the European Union.

Keywords:

unificación de los estados europeos

pandemia

Brexit

guerra ruso-ucraniana

escenarios de desarrollo

European state unification

pandemic

Brexit

Russian-Ukrainian war

development scenarios

References

Amato, G., Moavero-Milanesi, E., Pasquino, G., & Reichlin, L. (Eds.). (2019). The history of the European union: Constructing utopia. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Bellier, I. & Wilson, T.M. (Eds.). (2020). An anthropology of the European Union: building, imagining and experiencing the new Europe. Routledge.

Beltrán-Esteve, M., Giménez, V., & Picazo-Tadeo, A. J. (2019). Environmental productivity in the European Union: A global Luenberger-metafrontier approach. Science of The Total Environment, 692, 136-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.182

Bórawski, P., Wyszomierski, R., Bełdycka-Bórawska, A., Mickiewicz, B., Kalinowska, B., Dunn, J. W., & Rokicki, T. (2022). Development of renewable energy sources in the European Union in the context of sustainable development policy. Energies, 15(4), 1545. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15041545

Brodny, J., Tutak, M., & Bindzár, P. (2021). Assessing the level of renewable energy development in the european union member states. A 10-year perspective. Energies, 14(13), 3765. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14133765

Bulmer, S. & Lequesne, C. (2020). The European Union and its member states: An overview. In S. Bulmer & C. Lequesne (Eds.), The member states of the European Union (pp. 1-24). Oxford University Press.

Buonanno, L. & Nugent, N. (2020). Policies and policy processes of the European Union. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Chalmers, D., Davies, G., & Monti, G. (2019). European Union Law: Text and materials (4a ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108654173

Cini, M. & Pérez-Solórzano Borragán, N. (Eds.). (2022). European union politics. Oxford University Press.

Geddes, A. P., Hadj Abdou, L., & Brumat, L. (2020). Migration and mobility in the European Union (2nd edition). Red globe press.

Goniewicz, K., Khorram-Manesh, A., Hertelendy, A. J., Goniewicz, M., Naylor, K., & Burkle, F. M. (2020). Current response and management decisions of the european union to the covid-19 outbreak: A review. Sustainability, 12(9), 3838. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093838

Hix, S. & Høyland, B. (2022). The political system of the European Union. Bloomsbury Publishing House. Hodson, D., Puetter, U., Peterson, J., & Saurugger, S. (2022). The institutions of the European Union. Oxford University Press.

Johansson-Nogués, E., Vlaskamp, M. C., & Barbé, E. (2019). European union contested: Foreign policy in a new global context. Springer International Publishing.

Keukeleire, S. & Delreux, T. (2022). The foreign policy of the European Union. Bloomsbury Publishing. Kinross, P., Suetens, C., Dias, J. G., Alexakis, L., Wijermans, A., Colzani, E., Monnet, D. L., & European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Public Health Emergency Team. (2020). Rapidly
increasing cumulative incidence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the european union/european economic area and the United Kingdom, 1 January to 15 March 2020. Eurosurveillance, 25(11). https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.11.2000285

Ladrech, R. (2022). Social democracy and the challenge of European Union. Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Léonard, S., & Kaunert, C. (2019). Refugees, security and the European Union. Routledge.

Leruth, B., Gänzle, S., & Trondal, J. (2019). Exploring differentiated disintegration in a post‐brexit european union. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(5), 1013-1030. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12869

Lynggaard, K. (2019). Discourse analysis and European Union politics. Palgrave Macmillan. McCormick, J. (2020). European Union Politics. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Mhatre, P., Panchal, R., Singh, A., & Bibyan, S. (2021). A systematic literature review on the circular economy initiatives in the European Union. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 26, 187-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2020.09.008

Rhinard, M. (2019). The crisisification of policy‐making in the european union. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(3), 616-633. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12838

Rudan, I. (2020). A cascade of causes that led to the COVID-19 tragedy in Italy and in other European Union countries. Journal of Global Health, 10(1), 12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7125421/

Schimmelfennig, F. (2021). Rebordering Europe: External boundaries and integration in the European Union. Journal of European Public Policy, 28(3), 311-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2021.1881589

Tagliapietra, S., Zachmann, G., Edenhofer, O., Glachant, J.M., Linares, P., & Loeschel, A. (2019). The European union energy transition: Key priorities for the next five years. Energy Policy, 132, 950-954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.06.060

Wallace, H., Pollack, M. A., Roederer-Rynning, C., & Young, A. R. (Eds.). (2020). Policy-making in the European Union. (Eighth edition). Oxford University Press.

Wurzel, R. K. W., Liefferink, D., & Di Lullo, M. (2019). The European council, the council, and the member states: Changing environmental leadership dynamics in the European union. Environmental Politics, 28(2), 248-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2019.1549783 Zeitlin, J., Nicoli, F., & Laffan, B. (2019). Introduction: The European Union beyond the polycrisis? Integration and politicization in an age of shifting cleavages. Journal of European Public Policy, 26(7), 963-976. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2019.1619803