Language and Culture in the European Integration Strategy of Ukraine

The article analyzes the main problems of the Ukrainian language and culture development in the European integration strategy of our country. To outline the ways of overcoming those in a conceptual dimension the author addressed to the achievements of the foreign and Ukrainian researchers. The research proves that, despite the strengthening of globalization trends, the language and culture in the European integration strategy of Ukraine remain its main priorities. At the same time, there is an urgent need for the institutionalization of Ukraine's cultural diplomacy. Unfortunately, the slow development of cultural diplomacy is caused by the lack of financial and administrative resources, as well as systematic in the cultural initiatives and competent cultural policy formation in general. It is necessary to deepen the most professional vision of its development problems. In order to do this, it will be useful to address to the more successful European states institutionalization experience, to be interpreted in the light of the Ukrainian realities. Most of them have developed entire networks of cultural diplomacy institutions, aimed at cultural values development in a variety of social and cultural contexts. There are bright examples of such institutions as the British Council, the French Institute, the Czech Centre, the Polish Institute, the Goethe-Institute in Ukraine, with their activities contributing to the intercultural cooperation strengthening. A special attention is paid to the concept of multiculturalism in Western Europe. It is found that it required a political recognition of the minorities’ special “life model” as an equitable model for the majority of the host party. The problem is that the “majority – minority” pair remained in the same positions as in the assimilation concept, with the difference only the minority been supported in its otherness, rather than assimilated to the majority. In reality, in spite of good intentions, multiculturalism, emphasizing the distinctive features of different communities, can lead to segregation, the creation of national and / or confessional districts, in which and in relation to which the same stereotypes and mutual prejudice will be maintained. The article shows that tolerance is not only a desirable state of social and interstate communication, but also an indispensable condition for the preservation of peace on the planet