EU Foreign Policy Practices and Democracy Support in Ukraine
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Date
2025
Authors
Osypchuk, Anna
Suslov, Anton
Journal Title
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Abstract
This paper analyses the extent to which the EU foreign and security policy toward Ukraine reflects its declared objective of supporting democracy, alongside local demand for and perceptions of democratic governance. It also explores whether the EU learns new lessons and un-learns past inefficient practices, identifying the contextual and internal triggers that drive this process. The analysis applies the SHAPEDEM-EU framework, which conceptualises the democratic nature of EU foreign policy as a combination (but also variation) of social embeddedness, social empowerment and social accountability. Key turning points in EU-Ukraine relations are examined, including the Maidan, the Russian annexation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014, and the full-scale Russian military aggression in 2022. Findings highlight how the EU has evolved as a security and democracy-support actor towards Ukraine through its collaboration with Ukrainian civil society and government, leveraging local knowledge and responding to geopolitical challenges. The paper concludes that by 2025, the EU and Ukraine are mutually dependent in security matters, and continued EU support for security and democratic transformation, particularly in the rule of law and human rights, relies on local knowledge and remains indispensable for Ukraine’s resilience.
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Keywords
EU foreign and security policy, democratic governance, SHAPEDEM-EU framework, EU-Ukraine relations, democratic transformation, report
Citation
Osypchuk A. EU Foreign Policy Practices and Democracy Support in Ukraine / Anna Osypchuk, Anton Suslov ; National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy [et al.]. - [S. l.] : SHAPEDEM-EU consortium, 2025. - 15 p. - This publication is part of WP4, led by Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI).