DOI: 10.20535/2307-5244.52.2021.236237
West Ukrainian National University
The article presents the results of a study on the historical role and special
aspects of Great Britain’s participation in the formation and implementation
process of the European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy. The study
demonstrates the transformation of the British Government’s position on the EU’s
CFSP and on the Common Security and Defense Policy as its component. Also,
the article reviewed the influence of US-British and German-French relations
on Britain’s participation in the EU’s CFSP. The paper presents the historical
aspects of the country’s practical involvement in the CFSP implementation, in
particular, in the enlargement policy and in the EU’s Eastern European policy
(first of all, the policy towards Ukraine).
Among few pioneering studies in Ukrainian historiography, this paper analyzes
the impact of the Brexit process on the United Kingdom’s involvement in the EU’s
CFSP and European integration in general since the referendum on 23 June 2016.
The study concluded that the EU’s CFSP opportunities attracted the British
government, but its deeper participation in the integration processes was prevented
due to the established principles and directions of the country’s foreign policy.
The state government at various times has ignored the objective opportunities for
its leading position in the EU in the field of foreign and security policy. In general,
Great Britain failed to find its place in the European Union, which resulted
in the Brexit process and the country’s withdrawal from the European Union.
Keywords: United Kingdom, European Integration, European Union, Common
Foreign and Security Policy, Common Security and Defense Policy, Brexit,
Ukraine.
