The current state and prospects of legal regulation of parliamentary ethics in Ukraine

Abstract

An analysis of the legal regulation of parliamentary discipline and deputy ethics in Ukraine was performed, its essence and features were determined, as well as the priority directions for improving the legal basis for ensuring compliance with discipline and the norms of deputy ethics in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine were substantiated. It has been established that today the rules of deputy ethics are formulated in a too general form and legally imperfect, they no longer meet the requirements of modernity and are objectively insufficient due to the lack of an effective mechanism for holding people's deputies of Ukraine accountable for violating the rules of deputy ethics. The lack of stable parliamentary discipline, the low level of culture of people's deputies of Ukraine and the widespread practice of non-compliance with ethical standards by them negatively affect the effectiveness of activity of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the authority of the parliament and the public confidence in it. This is a consequence of the lack of substantive legislative regulation of the rules of conduct in the parliament and norms of deputy ethics. It is substantiated that ensuring compliance with discipline and rules of deputy ethics in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine primarily requires amendments to its Regulations and the Law of Ukraine "On the Status of a People's Deputy of Ukraine". They should comprehensively regulate the rules of conduct and norms of deputy ethics in the parliament and beyond, determine the procedure and subject of control over their compliance, balanced sanctions and a transparent mechanism of prosecution for relevant violations. It is emphasized that the norms of deputy ethics should oblige people's deputies of Ukraine to act honestly and impartially, exclusively in the interests of fellow citizens, to make decisions openly and transparently, to bear responsibility for their actions, to respect honor and dignity of other persons, to avoid conflict of interests and to be an example of ethical behavior.