Convergence of Economic Models of Ukraine and Poland: Evolution, Mechanisms, Efficiency

Among the neighboring countries that are members of the EU (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland), Ukraine's closest trade and economic relations are developing with Polish partners. The article analyzes the features of the transformation processes in the two countries after the collapse of the USSR (1991), the reorientation of their political and economic aspirations from Moscow (CIS) to Brussels (EU). The importance and necessity of studying the experience of Poland in the process of its accession and strengthening of its positions in the EU were emphasized. The author investigated the factors, whose influence quadrupled the economic potential (GDP, nominal) of Poland in comparison with Ukraine for the period of 1991-2020. The purpose of this paper is to study trends in the development of bilateral trade and economic relations, to develop recommendations for the further expansion and diversification of trade in goods and services between countries, as well as to substantiate the need to use effective mechanisms and tools for the European convergence of the national economies of Poland and Ukraine. These proposals correlate with the European and Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine with the active support of Poland as one of its most important strategic partners.