IMPACT OF SECESSION MOVEMENTS ON THE TERRITORIAL POLITICAL SYSTEM OF THE WESTERN EUROPEAN REGION

Abstract

Secessionism as a political and geographical phenomenon is characterized by a specific distribution area that allows researching its impact on different levels of the territorial political systems. This study examines the main influences of European secessionism on the political sphere of the region, which includes diversity of the political spectrum of modern Europe through the formation of non-governmental organizations at the European level and a number of secession regionalist parties at the national and regional level. Moreover, secession movements which are involved in the functioning of supranational EU institutions enhance their impact on regional and general policy of the EU. Most European ethno-regionalist parties are concentrated in three main areas (marine and oceanic coastline, the eastern periphery of the region and the area of the urban belt of Europe). The main component of secession movement’s activity is the political one; as a result, they are primarily trying to achieve their goals through peaceful, democratic means. However, these movements become the factor of destabilization and disintegration of the political map of Europe which threaten European security, can lead to the formation of new states and change centers of power in the region.