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This paper's objective is to study the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Eastern policy of the European Union. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to highlight this policy's position in the overall international activity of the EU, as well as its characteristic features, main goals, instruments, and two components: the strategic partnership with Russia and the Eastern Partnership (EaP). The substantive part of the paper contains an analysis which, taking into account the implications of the war in Ukraine, is intended to justify three research hypotheses. They concern: the complete failure of the strategic partnership with Russia, then the serious crisis of the EaP and, finally, the possibility of achieving success in the Eastern policy in the form of Ukraine's accession to the EU. As indicated in the conclusion, this would provide the European Union with a permanently strong position in Eastern Europe.

The aim of the paper is to analyze how Europeanization is used as an instrument of the European Union's foreign policy in the field of promoting democracy in the world. This fi rst requires an indication that all EU activities, including its relations with the international environment, are based on specific normative foundations. They include the so-called European values regarding, generally speaking, the promotion of democracy and broadly
understood human rights, as well as strengthening peace in international relations. "European values" are not only political and ideological guidelines, but also legal norms enshrined in EU treaties, so the promotion of democracy is one of the basic goals of the EU's foreign policy. Analysis of the EU's promotion of democracy requires the presentation of the main categories used to study this issue, i.e. showing what is understood by Europeanization, as well as by the associated concepts of democratization and socialization. Then mechanisms of europeanization are examined, as well as its results and evaluation of its effectiveness is provided. In this respect the case study is very helpful, in that it examines the results of
Europeanization in relation to the EU partner countries covered by the Eastern Partnership. The paper ends with fi nal remarks constituting a summary of the studied issues.

The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is undoubtedly a key project of the
European Union's eastern policy. It is being implemented by the EU in cooperation with six partner countries, three of which (Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova) are more committed to establishing integration ties with the EU, while others are more restrained. The article tries to show that the functioning of EaP is influenced not only by its direct implementers, but also by various external actors. The most important of these are global and regional powers such as Russia, the United States, Turkey and China, as well as international financial institutions (including in particular the International Monetary Fund) and, to some extent, the North Atlantic Alliance. Their positions towards the Eastern Partnership may take the form of opposition, support or ambivalence. The analysis carried out allows us to conclude that while the impact of these actors on the functioning of the Eastern Partnership should not be overestimated,
it should not be underestimated, especially in the light of possible
scenarios for the future.

The purpose of this article is to analyse the main determinants that can affect the functioning of the European Union as one of the key global players in the contemporary world. Being a unique and highly specific international actor, the EU is a major power in terms of economic potential and the attractiveness of its social and cultural model, but it is also a dwarf in the sphere of foreign and security policy. This considerably diminishes is capabilities as an effective global actor. These weaknesses can be divided into two categories: (1) external problems resulting from the current international situation; (2) difficulties related to the internal situation of the Union. One of the main deficiencies is the inconsistency of the EU's external policy. This policy comprises a relatively well-developed economic component as well as the foreign and security policy, which is plagued with numerous flaws. Reducing their impact would greatly strengthen the EU as a global player, but this would require (in accordance with the concept of "avant-garde Europe") greater communitisation of this policy - which is what this text advocates.

W artykule podjęto próbę analizy tego, w jaki sposób Unia Europejska odgrywa charakterystyczną dla siebie międzynarodową rolę tzw. "łagodnej potęgi" (soft power). W rozważaniachwzięto pod uwagę fakt, że UE oddziałuje na swoje otoczenie zewnętrzne za pomocą przede wszystkim środków o charakterze politycznym, dyplomatycznym, ekonomicznym, kulturowymitp., a nie poprzez zastosowanie "twardych" (hard) instrumentów przymusu (w tym siły zbrojnej). Koncepcja Unii Europejskiej jakosoft power posłużyła jako punkt wyjścia do prezentacjiinnych teorii bezpośrednio z nią związanych, w pierwszym rzędzie koncepcji UE jako civilian power, a następnie normative poweri innych teorii pochodnych. Uwzględniają one rozmaite aspekty specyfiki Unii Europejskiej jako unikatowego uczestnika współczesnych stosunków międzynarodowych, powstrzymującego się od wykorzystywania siły militarnej i promującegowartości demokratyczne. ; The article attempts to analyze how the European Union plays its distinctive international role as a so-called soft power. The paper takes into account the fact that the EU acts on its external environment using primarily of a political, diplomatic, economic and cultural means, and not through the use of 'hard' instruments of coercion (including the armed forces). The concept of the European Union as a 'soft power' serves as a starting point for the presentation of other theories directly related to it – in the first place the concept of the EU as a 'civilian power' and 'normative power' and other theories derivatives. They take into account various aspects of the specificity of the European Union as a unique participant in contemporary international relations, restraining from using military force and promoting democratic values.

W artykule podjęto próbę analizy tego, w jaki sposób Unia Europejska odgrywa charakterystyczną dla siebie międzynarodową rolę tzw. "łagodnej potęgi" (soft power). W rozważaniach wzięto pod uwagę fakt, że UE oddziałuje na swoje otoczenie zewnętrzne za pomocą przede wszystkim środków o charakterze politycznym, dyplomatycznym, ekonomicznym, kulturowym itp., a nie poprzez zastosowanie "twardych" (hard) instrumentów przymusu (w tym siły zbrojnej). Koncepcja Unii Europejskiej jako soft power posłużyła jako punkt wyjścia do prezentacji innych teorii bezpośrednio z nią związanych, w pierwszym rzędzie koncepcji UE jako civilian power, a następnie normative power i innych teorii pochodnych. Uwzględniają one rozmaite aspekty specyfiki Unii Europejskiej jako unikatowego uczestnika współczesnych stosunków międzynarodowych, powstrzymującego się od wykorzystywania siły militarnej i promującego wartości demokratyczne. ; The article attempts to analyze how the European Union plays its distinctive international role as a so-called soft power. The paper takes into account the fact that the EU acts on its external environment using primarily of a political, diplomatic, economic and cultural means, and not through the use of 'hard' instruments of coercion (including the armed forces). The concept of the European Union as a 'soft power' serves as a starting point for the presentation of other theories directly related to it – in the first place the concept of the EU as a 'civilian power' and 'normative power' and other theories derivatives. They take into account various aspects of the specificity of the European Union as a unique participant in contemporary international relations, restraining from using military force and promoting democratic values.