{"id":2914,"date":"2026-05-10T18:27:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/?page_id=2914"},"modified":"2026-05-10T18:33:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:33:11","slug":"2914-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/?page_id=2914","title":{"rendered":"The Place of the European Union in the Global System of Powers and its Practical Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"

DOI: <\/strong>10.46340\/eppd.2026.13.2.5<\/a><\/p>\n

Manana Morchiladze, PhD student in International Relations<\/strong>
\nGeorgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How to cite: <\/em><\/strong>Morchiladze, M. (2026). The Place of the European Union in the Global System of Powers and its Practical Challenges. Evropsk\u00fd politick\u00fd a pr\u00e1vn\u00ed diskurz, 13, 2,<\/em> 65-70. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.46340\/eppd.2026.13.2.5<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n

Relevance of the topic: At the present stage, the systemic development of the European Union has become largely dependent on changes in the global security environment. The ongoing Russia\u2013Ukraine war has had a particularly strong impact, significantly changing the architecture of European security and the role of the European Union in international politics. This process has strengthened the importance of the EU\u2019s security policy and intensified the issue of its positioning in the global balance of power. In addition, it fundamentally changed the European security order. A norm-based cooperative system was replaced by hard power and a policy of deterrence. The war ended the illusion of \u201cperpetual peace\u201d in Europe and forced the continent to begin building a new, strong, militarized security system.<\/p>\n

Under these conditions, it becomes relevant to understand the crises of the systemic development of the European Union not only as temporary problems but as transformational processes. Therefore, the analysis of EU crises in the context of systemic development is important, which makes it possible to assess the future of European integration and its place in contemporary international relations.<\/p>\n

The analysis of EU crises shows that the union is in a stage of systemic transformation, where geopolitical uncertainty, energy vulnerability, and internal fragmentation force Europe to reconsider the fundamental foundations of integration.<\/p>\n

In contemporary international relations, the European Union is trying to establish itself as a strategically autonomous actor, which implies close coordination of economic and security policy. The future of the European Union will depend on how successfully the member states maintain a unified position in making strategic decisions. That is, how the European Union manages simultaneously to expand and deepen integration, that is, more effective governance.<\/p>\n

In recent years, academic speculation and political opinions about the desirable future of the European Union have sharply increased. These processes pose a significant threat to the internal stability of the European Union. Each of these development options aims to achieve a certain image of the future that is desirable for some political forces of the union and unacceptable for others. The objective reality of the systemic crisis pushes the elites of EU countries to choose the final stage of European integration, a choice that they managed to avoid for many decades.<\/p>\n

The research aims to determine the transatlantic role of the European Union in modern global politics; to identify the function of the European Union as part of the international system in the conditions of growing competition between the United States and China on the international arena; to reveal the real prospects for establishing itself in the global space.<\/p>\n

Keywords:<\/strong><\/em> European Union, United States, China, balance of power, global balance of power, international system, hard power, deterrence policy.<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

Britannica (2026). Balance of\u00a0Power in International Relations<\/em>.
\nhttps:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/balance-of-power<\/a><\/p>\n

Kaufman, S., et al. (2007). The Balance of\u00a0Power in World History<\/em>. Wohlforth
\nhttps:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/266574529_The_Balance_of_Power_in_World_History<\/a><\/p>\n

Skip navigation<\/p>\n

Manzoor, A., et al. (2017). One Belt One Road Initiative (“OBOR”): Editorial. Transnational Dispute Management<\/em>.
\nhttps:\/\/www.transnational-dispute-management.com\/article.asp?key=2469<\/a><\/p>\n

Etienne, P. (2024). The European Union between the\u00a0United States and China: Should we Choose Between Equidistance and Following? Robert Schuman Foundation<\/em>. https:\/\/www.robert-schuman.eu\/en\/european-issues\/763-the-european-union-between-the-united-states-and-china-should-we-choose-between-equidistance-and-following<\/a><\/p>\n

Abdulkarim, A., & Abubakar, Y. (2024). The Competition Between the\u00a0United States and China in the\u00a0Emerging Technologies and Its Implications on the\u00a0Associated National Security. Journal of\u00a0Global Social Sciences, 5(18)<\/em>, 39-54. https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/381820564_The_competition_between_the_United_States_and_China_in_the_emerging_technologies_and_its_implications_on_the_associated_national_security<\/a><\/p>\n

Britannica Money (n.d.). laissez-faire<\/em>. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/money\/laissez-faire<\/a><\/p>\n

The Economic Times Business Verticals (2026). US Sharpens Tech War with China across AI, Chips, Biotech
\n<\/em>https:\/\/cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/consumer-tech\/us-sharpens-tech-war-with-china-across-ai-chips-biotech\/129791099<\/a><\/p>\n

Matza, M. (2023). Chinese Spy Balloon: US Tracks Suspected Surveillance Device. BBC News.
\n<\/em>https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-64507225<\/a><\/p>\n

U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China (2024). Readout of\u00a0National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan\u2019s Meeting with President Xi Jinping of\u00a0the\u00a0People\u2019s Republic of\u00a0China<\/em>.
\nhttps:\/\/china.usembassy-china.org.cn\/readout-of-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivans-meeting-with-president-xi-jinping-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Think Tank European Parliament (2024). Outcome of\u00a0the\u00a016th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia<\/em>.
\nhttps:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/thinktank\/en\/document\/EPRS_ATA(2024)766243<\/a><\/p>\n

Riga, D. (2024). The EU as a\u00a0Geopolitical Player: A Distant Ambition? Exploring EU Strategy for Cooperation in\u00a0the\u00a0Indo-Pacific Strategy. In: Lika, L., Riga, D. (eds.) EU Geopolitical Actorness in a\u00a0Changing World<\/em>. Palgrave Macmillan Cham. DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-031-81160-9_6<\/a><\/p>\n

European Parliament (2026). The Policy Priorities of\u00a0the\u00a0Von Der Leyen II Commission. State of\u00a0Play in March 2026.<\/em> https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/STUD\/2026\/785656\/EPRS_STU(2026)785656_EN.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Su, H. (2025). From a\u00a0Partner for Cooperation to a\u00a0Systemic Rival for De-risking: Evolution of\u00a0the\u00a0EU\u2019s perception of\u00a0the\u00a0rise of\u00a0China (2016\u20132020). Journal of\u00a0Nationalism Memory & Language Politics, 19(2)<\/em>, 157-178. DOI:\u00a010.2478\/jnmlp-2025-0009. https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/400776693_From_a_Partner_for_Cooperation_to_a_Systemic_Rival_for_De-risking_Evolution_of_the_EU’s_perception_of_the_rise_of_China_2016-2020<\/a><\/p>\n

Reynolds, M., & Goodman, M. P. (2022). China\u2019s Economic Coercion: Lessons from Lithuania.
\nCenter for Strategic & International Studies<\/em>
\nhttps:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/chinas-economic-coercion-lessons-lithuania#:~:text=Lithuania%20is%20a%20textbook%20case%20of%20Chinese%20economic%20coercion%2C<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DOI: 10.46340\/eppd.2026.13.2.5 Manana Morchiladze, PhD student in International Relations Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia How to cite: Morchiladze, M. (2026). The Place of the European Union in the Global System of Powers and its Practical Challenges. Evropsk\u00fd politick\u00fd a pr\u00e1vn\u00ed diskurz, 13, 2, 65-70. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.46340\/eppd.2026.13.2.5   Abstract Relevance of the… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2887,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2914","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2914"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2925,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2914\/revisions\/2925"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eppd13.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}