On October 1, analytical report “Why Europe Matters?” was presented at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The study is an attempt to analyze the “Europeanization” of Ukrainian parliamentarism, impact of European norm creating traditions and standards on the legislative activity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
It should be noted that the study is not only about the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU law. The authors attempted to look at the issue from a wider perspective and represent the complex nature of the consequences caused by the common border of Ukraine and the EU and European integration priorities that are acknowledged by a large part of the political elite.
This presentation is the first event in a series of public discussions on the theme. The follow-up discussions will be held in London and Madrid, and the final event will be held in Kyiv jointly with the profile parliamentary committee on the European integration.
The study “Why Europe Matters” is a result of cooperation between the Laboratory for Legislative Initiatives, Centre for European Reform (CEP, UK) and Foundation for International Relations and Foreign Dialogue (FRIDE, Spain), supported by the European Program of the International Renaissance Foundation.
The analysis covered three main components:
(і) development of parliamentary procedures and practices under the influence of the European parliamentary traditions;
(іі) institutional and procedural changes that occurred in the legislative process in relation to adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to acquis communautaire;
(ііі) “Europeanization” of the policy-making process and the role of the “European argument” in legislation.
The study also provides a brief overview of the legislative processes taking place in the EU member-state. Such approach aims at demonstrating common trends within and beyond the EU and become a basis for recommendations to Ukrainian parliamentarians that are proposed in the final part of the study.
“The impact of the European Union on norm making in Ukraine is not very obvious, but it is in fact very significant. All democratic transformations are part of the Copenhagen criteria and by making such changes our country gets closer to the EU standards”, said Denys Kovryzhenko, Director of legal programs of the Laboratory for Legislative Initiatives.
