The Experience of Institutional and Economic Integration of Central and Eastern European Countries into the European Union

Abstract

This study examines the institutional and economic integration of Central and Eastern European countries into the European Union and assesses its relevance for Ukraine in the context of its newly acquired candidate status. The research focuses on the mechanisms of institutional adaptation, legal harmonization, and economic modernization implemented during the EU’s Eastern enlargement, with particular attention to the role of financial instruments (PHARE, SAPARD, ISPA) and the Copenhagen criteria. The analysis highlights both the benefits of integration such as increased investment attractiveness, access to the EU internal market, and institutional modernization and the structural challenges, including socio-economic disparities, fiscal imbalances, and dependence on foreign capital. Methodologically, the study employs a comparative institutional and structural analysis of the reforms undertaken in eleven Central and Eastern European countries from the 1990s to the 2010s. The results demonstrate that while integration facilitated convergence with Western European standards, it also generated significant transitional costs, such as industrial closures, high unemployment, and social inequality. The article argues that for Ukraine, the key lessons of this experience lie in the necessity of strategic evaluation of internal institutional and structural deficits. The findings contribute to the academic discourse by providing a systematic assessment of integration outcomes and outlining a framework for Ukraine’s sustainable accession strategy in the post-war period. JEL: F15, F36, O52, P27