The course is aimed at providing students with profound knowledge concerning the essence of European economic integration, basic directions of internal and external convergence of EU Member States, identification of national and supranational convergence models in the EU. 

Course objectives:

• understanding of the essence of  European integration and the basic directions of further convergence of Member States;
• comprehension of the EU institutional framework and principles of distribution of powers between national and supranational authorities;
• examination of  main types of sector and horizontal policies of the EU, common foreign and security policies, protection of human rights and citizens;
• practical identification of EU Member States’ development models;
• shaping skills necessary for identification of main stages and criteria of systemic convergence of candidate countries on the way to the EU accession and analyzing of possible positive and negative co-integration consequences for the New EU Member States;
• facilitating competences needed for comprehension of basic directions, mechanisms and tools of crucial importance for Ukraine on her way to the EU accession.

Course subject: comprehension of laws and peculiarities of the European integration process under conditions of strengthening of the world economy globalization and sharpening of the mega-regional competition.