The new component of integration in foreign policy in the theory of neofunctionalism: the case of the European Union’s reaction to the pressure of the Peoples Republic of China on Lithuania

Researchers who apply the theory of neofunctionalism in integration studies, while defining various factors promoting the integration of the European Union (EU) in the field of foreign policy, do not name the factor of direct pressure from third countries on the Community or its individual members. Meanwhile, the EU's reaction caused by China's political, economic and diplomatic pressure on Lithuania indicates the possible existence of such an integrative effect. The research object of this work is integration in the field of EU foreign policy. The aim of the research is to reveal that the Community's response to China's pressure on Lithuania shows signs of strengthening integration in the field of EU foreign policy, and this can be the basis for including an additional factor of integration in developing the theory of neofunctionalism. The research objectives are the following. The first is to analyze the insights of the theoretical perspective of neofunctionalism about EU integration in the field of foreign policy and the factors influencing this integration. The second is to form a specific case study methodology for assessing the impact of external pressure on integration processes in the field of EU foreign policy. The third is to conduct a case study that examines EU integration in foreign policy under the influence of China's pressure on Lithuania. Accordingly, the structure of the thesis consists from three parts. The first is dedicated to the theoretical perspective and the analysis of the scientific problem. The second one presents the methodology of the study of integration in the field of foreign policy, using a specific case. The third presents and interprets the results of the case study. The study uses a qualitative methodology, document analysis method is used for data collection. The theoretical part mainly uses the studies of integration in foreign policy and related case studies carried out by neofunctionalists in the period of the last ten years. The empirical part examines publicly available primary and secondary sources of information related to the EU's reaction to China's pressure on Lithuania from year 2021 to 2023. Qualitative document analysis and process tracking data analysis methods are applied. The theoretical and empirical analysis yielded the following main results. First, in the studies of the processes of EU integration in foreign policy, the theory of neofunctionalism misses a significant exogenous factor of integration – the direct pressure of a third state. Secondly, such pressure applied by China to Lithuania acted as a catalyst for the manifestation of various signs of integration in the EU's foreign policy, so this pressure can reasonably be considered as a trigger for integration in foreign polic