THE “FRACTURED” SOCIAL SPACE IN EAST-CENTRAL EUROPE

East-Central Europe being distinguished – despite different views – a geographical space does not constitute a distinct and coherent political, economic, social, and cultural space. Changes taking place in contemporary Europe, in particular those associated with integration processes mark a new, specific dividing line, different from that during the Cold War. It runs across the geographical, and, consequently, social, political, economic and cultural space of East-Central Europe. It is constructed by both different standards and indicators of social, political and economic life in that part of Europe and the specific shape of cultural identity. The research objective of the paper is to identify and analyze the “fracture” of social space in this part of Europe. It is assumed that social space is a complex, multifaceted construction. Especially significant seems to be the problem of the political empowerments of civil society and its limitations, the problem of the socio-economic situation, and the problem of cultural identity. It is also assumed that the EU’s political strategy currently being pursued, consisting in relinquishing the prospect of EU enlargement towards the east to include selected countries of the so-called post-Soviet area, contributes to strengthening “the fracture” of East-Central Europe. This is apparently the result of the European Union’s implementation of “A Europe of Projects” strategy, which is the measures undertaken under the European Neighbourhood Policy, Eastern Partnership, or Black Sea Synergy.