Europe After the Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses many potentially transformative issues for the European Union (EU). It raises unresolved questions about EU foreign and security policy and strategic autonomy. It has reignited debates about EU enlargement and borders. Finally, it sheds new light on issues of evolving EU actorness and power. This section seeks panels and papers that address any aspect of EU relations with Ukraine, historically or in the present day, as well as its wider implications. Papers that address how EU institutions and policies are being reshaped as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are especially welcomed. Russia’s invasion changed threat perceptions in Europe, causing institutional responses including rearmament and the creation of new security cooperation mechanisms. Yet transformative changes equally have occurred outside the security and defence policy field. The war has deeply shaped EU energy policy and relations with many of its neighbours, with economic sanctions placed on Russia and Belarus, and countries in the Western Balkans shaken by Ukraine jumping the cue on enlargement. In turn, the granting of the EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova profoundly reconfigures the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood. The war has reshaped EU relations with European neighbourhood countries affected by food export blockades. It has changed power relations within the Union, as front line states gain a greater voice. Russia's invasion has deepened the EU’s engagement in Central Asia, which creates a potential for a regional competition with China. The war also forced a re-evaluation of previous EU policy towards Ukraine, with mounting criticism of EU realpolitik and engagement with Russia, and unwillingness to commit to Ukraine. Some also question whether the EU sleepwalked into a confrontation with Russia and whether it could have done anything to prevent that. Finally, debates remain on the EU’s role and ability to advance reforms in Ukraine and how the war has been reshaping the EU-Ukraine sectoral cooperation and EU's own approach to institution-building in Ukraine. Panels and papers that consider not only transformation but also stability in the EU response will also be considered.