Europeanisation is a process where countries change their policies to fit Europe. Eastern Europe with its different countries has examples of this process in many areas and many states. Among other things, many countries have changed their foreign policy and relations to fit Europe’s mould. This has happened accidentally or on purpose. When discussing various Eastern European examples, some countries did not have a strong foreign policy to begin with but Central Eastern European countries of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic all had their own strong identities and interests. Changes in their foreign policy have been clear.
Central Eastern European states have changed their position a lot when it comes to their approach to Europe and their neighbours during the last twenty years. Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia have all moved to and away from Europe, sometimes even more than once. Their governments have changed, their economies have changed and Europe itself has changed. Some of these changes have coincided with foreign policy changes and some have not. This analysis aims to examine if there are any similarities between the countries’ behaviour and the changes in their system.
The analysis uses the fuzzy set method to connect two empirical sides: first, an overview of crucial factors influencing foreign policy, for example decision making processes, decision makers themselves and various outside factors. The other side will look at the level of Europeanisation of foreign policy, consisting of foreign policy decisions made during the last 15 years, actions and positions taken. The main goal is to determine whether there have been any similarities between the four countries and whether there have been any specific factors influencing the countries’ choices.
