The Impact of European Integration on the Party System of Ukraine

The article is devoted to determining the presence, nature and consequences of European integration’s influence on the formation and transformation of the party system of Ukraine. The analysis is based on the main theories of European integration (theories of federalism, functionalism, neofunctionalism, and the intergovernmental approach) to understand the nature of European integration and its influence on the transformation of the domestic political systems of the state, primarily the party system. It also applies historical-comparative, systemic, structural-functional and statistical methods for a comprehensive study of the main stages of the formation and functioning of the modern party system of Ukraine during 1991–2024, identifies the main changes in its structural parameters and the identification of key development trends, and uses R. Ladrech’s advanced analytical framework to study and assess the influence of European integration on the party system of Ukraine. The three main stages of the evolution of the party system of Ukraine in the light of European integration processes are identified; their characteristic features and the nature of the changes that the party system has undergone at each of these stages of its development are outlined. Based on the specified modernized analytical framework, which includes seven (7) elements, the dynamics of changes in the programmatic and ideological content of political parties, their organization, political competition, interaction with European party structures are considered, voters’ attitudes, and the electoral system. The results indicate the existence of an obvious impact of European integration on political parties and the party system of Ukraine on its path to joining the EU. Prospects for further research include a more detailed study of the impact of European integration on the Ukrainian party system according to each of the identified criteria within the proposed analytical framework, as well as a comparative analysis of the experience of Central and Eastern European countries in transforming their party systems under the influence of European integration, with a view to assessing the possibility of adapting these models to the Ukrainian context.