EURO-INTEGRATION POTENTIAL OF UKRAINE’S INFORMATION POLICY

Abstract

The article demonstrates that the European integration potential of Ukraine’s information policy is structurally implemented and grounded in regulatory compatibility, security-communication participation, and the institutional capacity of the state to influence the formation of common European standards of information resilience.
The research examines the process of harmonization of Ukrainian media law with key EU regulatory frameworks, including the Digital Services Act, the European Media Freedom Act, and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. It is established that the adaptation of Ukraine’s media legislation has a systemic character and encompasses not only the content sphere but also digital platforms, regulatory responsibility, transparency of algorithmic decision-making, and the protection of user rights. It is proven that the Law of Ukraine On Media is functionally aimed at achieving compatibility with the EU regulatory architecture and may be considered a fundamental mechanism for the implementation of European institutional-legal standards in the information sphere.
It is clarified that Ukraine’s information policy is evolving from a sector-specific regulation into a strategic security institution integrated into the European system of countering disinformation, cognitive influence, and hybrid operations. It is shown that Ukraine’s experience in information counteraction and strategic communications is utilized by European institutions (EUvsDisinfo, NATO StratCom COE, Hybrid Toolbox) both as an analytical source and as a practical model for strengthening mechanisms of counter-propaganda and media resilience.
It is established that the key integration effect is Ukraine’s transition from a recipient of EU standards to a co-author of regulatory approaches in the field of information and communication security. It is proven that this shift occurs due to the combination of regulatory harmonization, digital interoperability, institutional coordination, and the development by Ukraine of its own models of strategic communication and counter-disinformation solutions during wartime.
At the same time, a number of factors are identified that may hinder the realization of this potential: the preservation of oligarchic structures of media ownership, risks of excessive use of security discourse to justify restrictions on freedom of speech, institutional fragmentation of media policy, and unequal economic capabilities of different types of media.