DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2026.33.8

 

Abstract. The aim of this article is to analyze theoretical developments and practical steps in the EU eastward enlargement among French political circles, in particular the contribution of President François Mitterrand himself to the European integration processes in Eastern Europe in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s.

Methodology. This is an empirical study based on a critical analysis of official documents (speeches of François Mitterrand, minutes of meetings of the French government, statements of the French Foreign Ministry, reports of the European Commission, the Maastricht Treaty) and private sources (memoirs of French politicians, diplomatic correspondence). The subject of the study is considered in the context of the key events of the end of the Cold War and the formation of a new European security architecture – the transition to the European Union, preparing the ground for its expansion to Central and Eastern Europe and the role of French politics in this process.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive rethinking of the role of French political circles, in particular French President François Mitterrand, in the formation of the theoretical foundations and practical side of the European integration process in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s – in the first half of the 1990s.

Conclusions. The practical implementation of the expansion of the European Communities (EU) to the east during the presidency of François Mitterrand (late 1980s – first half of the 1990s) was a complex and multidimensional process. Against the backdrop of the collapse of the communist bloc, F. Mitterrand proposed the idea of ​​a “European Confederation”. It was supposed to ensure the peaceful transformation of the region, uniting all the states of the continent, but without too rapid enlargement of the EU, offering cooperation with the CEE countries in a broader structure. The project was not implemented for a number of reasons. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) began to view the Confederation as a “waiting room” without real guarantees of membership. The idea also did not receive support from Germany and the United States of America. The collapse of the USSR in 1991 made the concept politically irrelevant. After it became clear that the ideas of the Confederation would not be implemented, France adapted its policy, moving to the gradual involvement of the CEE countries in the European integration processes. This included the conclusion of European Association Agreements with the Visegrad Group (1991) and financial assistance programs such as PHARE. In parallel, the institutional deepening of the EU was carried out: the signing of the Maastricht Treaty (1992), which transformed the EEC into the European Union, and the formulation of the Copenhagen Criteria (1993), which defined the conditions for future members. The French strategy made it possible to maintain a balance between deeper integration of Western Europe and expansion to the east. According to the ideas laid down under F. Mitterrand, gradual adaptation became an important basis for the further accession of the CEE countries to the EU in 2004.

Keywords. European Communities, European integration, François Mitterrand, international relations, EU enlargement, foreign policy, Maastricht Treaty.

 

Submitted 03.10.2025

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