Structural Transformation in EU Economies: a Possible Development Path for Ukraine

The aim of the article is to assess the structural and spatial transformation of the economies of European countries (and primarily Poland) after their accession to the EU in terms of the value of their experience for Ukraine. To achieve this goal, the scientific basis of economic growth was investigated; an analysis of the spatial differentiation of the socio-economic development of individual EU countries was carried out; an assessment of the structure of the gross added value of the Polish economy and its regions in terms of types of economic activity; the localization coefficient of the economy of Polish voivodeships was calculat- ed; and the level of labour productivity in key economic sectors of Polish voivodeships was determined. The research results revealed patterns of structural and spatial transformation for individual EU countries under the influence of economic globalization and the strengthening of European integration. It was empirically proven that such transformations can be concentrated on agriculture and several low-tech and low-efficiency segments of industry along with the service sector. Methodological and organizational errors were identified in overcoming imbalances in socio-economic development. The results of the study substantiated conclusions for Ukraine on avoiding the risks of ineffective economic development, based on the experience of Poland and other EU countries.