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European Ϸվ diplomacy and the end of the Cold War: The integration of central and eastern European countries

Éٳܻ 30-04-2025

Ϸվ played a fundamental role in reshaping the political landscape of central and eastern Europe during and after the end of the Cold War, setting out an agenda for European enlargement and substantiating European integration. Amid an atmosphere that signalled the triumph of democratic state-building in Europe, Members of the European Ϸվ also saw an opportunity to advance their own agenda of further democratising and legitimising the governance structures of the European Community. The study examines how the European Ϸվ strengthened its presence throughout this period in Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia and Slovakia), Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the former Yugoslavia. Based on archival research and relevant literature review, the study illustrates the European Ϸվ's involvement in these states' path to full European Union membership, the motivations behind its policies, and the points of tension that arose during this transformative period.