ЗАКОН РЕСПУБЛІКИ ЕСТОНІЇ "ПРО АДМІНІСТРАТИВНУ ПРОЦЕДУРУ": ДОСВІД ДЛЯ УКРАЇНИ

Abstract

The article deals with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia which concern the cooperation of public administration with citizens and the protection of the citizens' rights. The comparison of the particular provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia with the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine is made. As a result of comparing the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia with the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, it is concluded that they are similar in terms of citizens' rights protection. In both Constitutions, citizens' rights are recognized and protected by the state, rights and freedoms may only be circumscribed in exceptional cases, citizens have the right to free access to the information held by public administration (access to which is not restricted). Special attention is given to Administrative Procedure Act of the Republic of Estonia, which was passed on 06 June 2001. The principles of the administrative procedure, enshrined in Administrative Procedure Act of the Republic of Estonia, are presented. They include the principle of human rights protection, the principle of legality, the principle of proportionality and separate group of principles – principles of good administration. The principles of good administration, which underlie the cooperation of public administration with citizens, are also highlighted. They include the right to be heard, the right to examine documents, the right to get explanations, the principle of accessibility and data protection, the right to representation, the principle of appeal. It is substantiated that the principles of administrative procedure, enshrined in Administrative Procedure Act of the Republic of Estonia, provide two important guarantees: 1) a guarantee for good and legal activity of public administration, 2) a guarantee for enforcement of person's rights and freedoms during issuing administrative acts or taking measures. The conclusion on the expediency for the systematization of the legislation on administrative procedure in a one normative legal act is made. On the basis of drawn conclusions, it is proposed to draft and adopt in Ukraine a unified normative legal act on administrative procedure (a law or a code), taking into consideration Estonia's experience in this matter.