This article examines the geopolitical transformation of the European Union within the context of polycrisis, explaining how interconnected pressures are reshaping European governance, its adaptive capacity, and its patterns of legitimation. The analysis demonstrates that the EU has not evolved into a coherent, sovereign geopolitical actor, but rather into a more strategically adaptive and selectively integrated compound polity — one whose growing strategic capacity does not automatically translate into political resilience or legitimacy stability. The authors conclude that geopolitical adaptation may deepen internal asymmetries and create new cleavages between efficiency, solidarity, and democratic control, making the EU’s future trajectory dependent not only on its ability to act strategically, but on whether it can sustain that transformation politically and socially.
