Keywords
economic asymmetry
macroeconomic stabilization
institutional barriers
transport and logistics infrastructure
multimodal transportation
national security
How to Cite
Abstract
The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the institutional, economic, and transport and logistics aspects of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. The impact of economic asymmetry, structural differences in economies, and institutional barriers on the pace of Ukraine’s rapprochement with the EU is analyzed, as well as the importance of state policy and legislative reforms in the implementation of European integration processes. Particular attention is paid to the development of transport infrastructure, the integration of logistics routes into the European TEN-T network, and the effectiveness of multimodal and intermodal transportation in ensuring exports and economic stability, especially in conditions of war and limited access to seaports. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines systemic, institutional, and structural-functional analyses, as well as statistical, comparative, and historical-logical methods, which allow us to identify key stages of Ukraine’s European integration and assess their economic and infrastructural consequences. The article examines Ukraine’s European integration since 1991 through the lens of economic asymmetry, institutional transformation and external factors. It is established that over three decades, GDP per capita in Ukraine grew, but in 2024 amounted to only USD 4,800 compared to over USD 30,000 in the EU-27, confirming a significant gap. Internal obstacles (1990s transformational recession, inflation) are combined with external ones (“integration without membership” until 2014). Scientific significance lies in systematizing integration stages: from the Partnership Agreement (1994) to the Association (2014) and transport laws of 2021–2022. It has been argued that deep deregulation, modernization of grain export logistics, and harmonization of standards are necessary to accelerate convergence. Priority areas are proposed: transit simplification, customs digitalization, and multimodal transport development. The results are of practical importance for shaping the EU integration strategy during wartime and post-war periods.
References
1. Adarov, A., & Havlik, P. (2016). Benefits and Costs of DCFTA: Evaluation of the Impact on Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Vienna: WIIW. https://wiiw.ac.at/benefits-and-costs-of-dcfta-evaluation-of-the-impact-on-georgia-moldova-and-ukraine-p-4111.html
2. Bielova А., Novalska, N., & Orlovska, A. (2019). Topical issues of development of multimodal transportation in Ukraine. Review of Transport Economics and Management, 2(18), 58–65. https://doi.org/10.15802/rtem.v18i2.191243
3. Buzogány, A., & Varga, M. (2025). Making Markets Through Coalitions: The European Union and the Debate Over Ukraine’s National Resources. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 63(1), 108–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13587
4. Dimitrova, A. L., & Dragneva, R. (2023). How the EU–Ukraine association agreement and its consequences necessitated adaptation and drove innovation in the EU. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 61(6), 1454–1470. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13425
5. Eurostat. (2025). EU trade with Ukraine – latest developments. Eurostat Database. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=EU_trade_with_Ukraine_-_latest_developments
6. Eurostat. (2025). National accounts and GDP. Eurostat Database. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=National_accounts_and_GDP
7. Fernandes, G., Teixeira, P., & Santos, T. A. (2023). The impact of the Ukraine conflict in internal and external grain transport costs. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, (19), 100803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100803
8. Frey, M. (2016). Income Inequality Effects of Ukraine’s Trade Liberalization with the EU: A CGE-Microsimulation Analysis. EcoMod Conference Papers. https://ecomod.net/system/files/Frey_Ukraine_EcoMod2016.pdf
9. Mankiw, N. G. (2012). Macroeconomics. 8th ed. New York: Worth Publishers. https://www.econpage.com/302/mankiw.pdf
10. McConnell, K. R., & Brue, S. L. (1997). Analitychna ekonomiia. Chastyna 1: Makroekonomika [Analytical economics. Part 1: Macroeconomics]. Lviv: Prosvita. (in Ukrainian)
11. Movchan V. Distributional effects of the EU-Ukraine DCFTA: a CGE analysis. In ETSG Conference Paper. https://www.etsg.org/ETSG2013/Papers/290.pdf
12. Panchyshyn, S. M. (2022). Makroekonomika [Macroeconomics] (4th ed., rev. and updated). Lviv: Apriori. (in Ukrainian)
13. Panchyshyn, S. M. (Ed.), Ostroverkh, P. I. (Ed.), Hrabynska, I. V., et al. (2020). Analitychna ekonomika: makroekonomika i mikroekonomika. Knyha 1: Vstup do makroekonomiky. Makroekonomika [Analytical economics: Macroeconomics and microeconomics. Vol. 1: Introduction to macroeconomics. Macroeconomics]. Lviv: Apriori. (in Ukrainian)
14. Pro multymodalni perevezennia [On multimodal transportation]. Law of Ukraine of November 17, 2021 No. 1887-IX. (2021). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1887-20 (in Ukrainian)
15. Pro pryiednannia Ukrainy do Konventsii pro protseduru spilnoho tranzytu ta Konventsii pro sproshchennia formalnostei u torhivli tovaramy [On Ukraine’s accession to the Convention on a Common Transit Procedure and the Convention on the Simplification of Formalities in Trade in Goods]. Law of Ukraine of August 30, 2022 No. 2555-IX. (2022). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2554-20#Text (in Ukrainian)
16. Pro ratyfikatsiiu Uhody pro asotsiatsiiu mizh Ukrainoiu, z odniiei storony, ta Yevropeiskym Soiuzom, Yevropeiskym spivtovarystvom z atomnoi enerhii i yikhnimy derzhavamy-chlenamy, z inshoi storony [On the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine, of the one part, and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the other part]. Law of Ukraine of September 16, 2014 No. 1678-VII. (2014). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1678-18#Text (in Ukrainian)
17. Rabinovych, M. (2022). EU-Ukraine ‘deep’ trade agenda: effectiveness and impact perspectives. International Politics, 59(4), 512–531. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-022-00384-x
18. State Statistics Service of Ukraine. (2025). Statistical Information. https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/
19. Stepanenko, N. O., & Stepanenko, V. O. (2018). Intehratsiia Ukrainy do Yevropeiskoho Soiuzu: perevahy ta nedoliky [Ukraine’s integration into the European Union: Advantages and disadvantages]. Visnyk ekonomiky transportu i promyslovosti, (61), 62–67. https://doi.org/10.18664/338.47:338.45.v0i61.127689 (in Ukrainian)
20. Uhoda pro partnerstvo ta spivrobitnytstvo mizh Ukrainoiu ta Yevropeiskymy spivtovarystvamy i yikh derzhavamy-chlenamy [Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Ukraine and the European Communities and their Member States]. (June 14, 1994). https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/998_012 (in Ukrainian)
21. Van der Loo G. (2015). The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and DCFTA: A New Legal Instrument for EU Integration without Membership. Leiden: Brill Nijhoff. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004298651
22. Yanovska, V., Król, M., & Pittman, R. (2025). The logistics of grain exports from wartime Ukraine: What are the highest priority areas to Address?. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, (30), 101363.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2025.101363
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stepan Panchyshyn, Mariya Khmelyarchuk, Krzysztof Wyrwicki