EU VALUE PROMOTION AND THE ‘ASSOCIATED’ EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD: STATE OF THE ART, LEGITIMACY CHALLENGES, AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

The article explores the state of the EU’s value promotion in the ‘associated’ Eastern Neighbourhood countries (Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia) with a special emphasis on legitimacy challenges, arising due to the current ‘overlapping’ crises in the EU. The contribution identifies conceptual clarity of foundational values, an emphasis on functional cooperation, stronger linkage among conflict resolution, stabilization, and the rule of law in the Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), and a stronger citizen involvement in the ENP-led initiatives as the major opportunities for the EU to learn from the current crises, intensify its value promotion in the neighbourhood, and strengthen the legitimacy dimension of the ENP.