Abstract

The article deals with the role of national minorities in the European integration process of Ukraine. The failure to resolve the issues of national minorities challenges the European integration and causes interethnic relationships to exacerbate. It has been substantiated that the presence of national minorities is often seen as a stimulus for the development of inter-governmental relationships, and in most cases the interest in the life of national minorities fosters mutual understanding and friendly relationships between countries. It has been demonstrated that national minorities whose historical motherland lies in European countries play an important role in the development of European integration processes in Ukraine, have a significant influence on the development of the country’s foreign policy activities, often become a key factor in international cooperation. The activeness of national minorities in foreign policy matters is affected by factors such as the national minority’s territorial proximity to its ethnic motherland, historical ties, active borderline cooperation, creation of interethnic institutions, in particular, inter-parliamentary groups and inter-governmental commissions, active information exchange. National associations have become noticeably more active internationally over the past years in Ukraine. For example, they have increased their role in the activities of international organizations, joint inter-parliamentary commissions.