The aim of this article is to research the economic preparedness for EU integration—or “integration maturity”—of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, the three countries that have signed Association Agreements with the European Union. A major part of these is the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements, which offer significant access to the EU single market and provide a pathway to deeper economic integration. The article analyzes the three countries’ economic integration maturity through five key components: macroeconomic stability, functioning market economy, competitiveness, access to foreign finance, and, lastly, convergence with the European Union. The analysis shows that although all three countries have made significant progress since signing the agreements, they have still not progressed to the point where they will be competitive and capable of maximizing the economic benefits from deeper integration. However, the current framework provides a beneficial platform from which to conduct further reform, and is therefore a good interim solution for the short to medium term. This finding is particularly relevant in the context of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the significant rebuilding efforts that await at the end of the war, and the expressed desire of all three countries for full EU membership.

中文翻译：

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格鲁吉亚、摩尔多瓦和乌克兰的一体化成熟度：DCFTA 是否帮助他们为加入欧盟进程做好准备？


本文的目的是研究格鲁吉亚、摩尔多瓦和乌克兰这三个与欧盟签署了联系国协议的国家对欧盟一体化的经济准备情况（或“一体化成熟度”）。其中一个主要部分是深度和全面的自由贸易协定，它提供了进入欧盟单一市场的重要机会，并为更深层次的经济一体化提供了途径。本文通过五个关键组成部分分析了这三个国家的经济一体化成熟度：宏观经济稳定性、市场经济运作、竞争力、获得外国融资的机会以及最后与欧盟的融合。分析显示，尽管这三个国家自签署协议以来都取得了重大进展，但仍未达到具有竞争力和能够从更深层次一体化中获得最大经济利益的程度。但目前的框架为进一步改革提供了有利的平台，因此是中短期内良好的临时解决方案。这一发现在俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争、战争结束后等待的重大重建工作以及所有三个国家都明确希望成为欧盟正式成员的背景下尤为重要。