Constitutional and legal problems of the development of parliamentarism in Ukraine in the context of decentralization and territorial governance reform
Authors: Pukhtynskyi Mykola 
Published: August 2023

Extended abstract:

Introduction: The process of decentralization of public power, transformation of territorial governance is connected with solving a complex of problems, in particular,its legislative and parliamentary support. The study of the parliamentary dimension of this process is relevant in view of the continuation of the reform of territorial governance in the modern conditions of military aggression, legislative support and ensuring the activities of executive power bodies, local governance.

The aim of the article: The purpose and objectives of the study are the scientific analysis of modern organizational and legal forms of parliamentary and institutional support for the decentralization of public power, the reform of territorial governance in the conditions of martial law, and the prospects for the post-war restoration of local governance in Ukraine.

Results: The parliamentary dimension of ensuring decentralization is manifested, first of all, in the law-making work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada adopted statutory and special legislative acts on decentralization, transformation, and reform of territorial governance. Statutory acts lay down the legal foundations of decentralization through the determination of the foundations of state regional policy, cooperation, and unification of territorial communities. In special ones, the structural aspects of decentralization in various spheres of its manifestation, the procedure for solving specific issues, for example, regarding the administrative-territorial system, are defined.

The parliamentary dimension of decentralization and re-centralization, territorial governance is clearly expressed in relation to its legislative activities aimed at protecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity of Ukraine, and resistance to military aggression.

In terms of the re-centralization of territorial governance, the parliamentary measure of regulation of the exercise of powers by state authorities and local self-government bodies in conditions of martial law, the powers of military administrations,which, by analogy with military-civilian administrations, exercise their own and granted by law («delegated») powers of bodies is indicative Local Government.

Within the framework of this study, organizational and legal forms of parliamentary support for the development of territorial governance are of doctrinal interest. Based on the constitutional and legal status of the Parliament of Ukraine, its functional purpose and powers, the organizational and legal forms of ensuring the development of territorial governance can be attributed to: law-making, control,scientific and expert, advisory. The institutionally specified forms are manifested during sessional plenary meetings, in the activities of parliamentary committees, political factions, deputy groups, the Accounting Chamber, the Research Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and specialized structural subdivisions of the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The leading form of parliamentary support for the development of territorial governance is the legislative activity of theVerkhovna Rada. An important form of parliamentary support for the development of territorial governance is the implementation of the control powers of the Verkhovna Rada, primarily in the budgetary sphere, which is also manifested in law-making and in the activities of the relevant parliamentary structures. Scientific and advisory workin the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada is carried out by the Scientific and Advisory Council. Scientific-expert, advisory activities regarding parliamentary support, including the development of territorial governance, are also carried out by the Chief scientific-expert and legal departments of the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada.

It is expedient to decide on the further ways of completing the renewal of the constitutional regulation of the entire governance system and, in particular, of territorial governance in the post-war period in view of the declarations on the fundamental transformation and restoration of Ukraine. Such an update should concern not only the decentralization of public power, but comprehensively cover the main constitutional institutions.

Сonclusions: Practice has shown that the process of voluntary unification of territorial communities has shifted from «voluntary» to «legislative», and in the course of the reform of the territorial system – administrative influence to accelerate transformation.

The very phenomenon of «re-centralization» deserves a separate study, includingin the parliamentary dimension of legislative consolidation of its legal status,determination of place and role in the system of governance, existence in space andtime, mutual relations in it of subjects of public authority, civil society , citizens,safeguards regarding its unlimited extension.

It is appropriate to pay attention to the possibility of establishing additional legislative safeguards for re-centralization regarding the exercise of powers by bodies and officials of local self-government by bodies and officials of military and military civilian administrations. In particular, this concerns the terms of the beginning and end of the powers of the respective military and military-civilian administrations. It is desirable to determine the specified terms in the relevant provisions of the Law «On Local Self-Government in Ukraine» regarding its guarantees, in the fourth section ofthe Law.

One of the directions for further improvement of the use of legislative, scientific expert, advisory forms of ensuring the development of territorial governance can be awider use of the potential of scientific institutions in interaction with the parliament.

When transitioning from a military to a post-war state of governance, territorial organization of power, territorial governance when using organizational and legalforms of parliamentary support for the development of territorial governance, it is advisable to balance the modern rails of a combination of centralization and decentralization, gradually turn back and move to the path of broad decentralization of public power.

Key words: Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, parliament, decentralization of publicpower, territorial governance, post-war restoration of local governance.