European Integration Aspirations Research Articles

Принципи правового регулювання митних режимів в Україні

У науковій публікації досліджуються принципи правового регулювання митних режимів в Україні як міжгалузевого інституту митного права.
 Зазначається, що митний режим є комплексом взаємопов'язаних правових норм, що відповідно до заявленої мети переміщення товарів через митний кордон України визначають митну процедуру щодо цих товарів, їхній правовий статус, умови оподаткування і зумовлюють їх використання після митного оформлення.
 Формулюється висновок про те, що роль принципів права в регулюванні митних режимів є визначальною, враховуючи євроінтеграційні прагнення України та зумовлену ними необхідність дотримання принципів верховенства права, правової визначеності та належного урядування органами публічної адміністрації.
 До принципів правового регулювання митних режимів слід віднести загально-правові (верховенства права, законності, правової визначеності, рівності всіх перед законом, гласності тощо), а також спеціальні принципи, серед яких: принцип сприяння розвитку міжнародної торгівлі; принцип захисту національних інтересів та безпеки у сфері зовнішньоекономічної діяльності; принцип диспозитивності вибору митного режиму суб'єктом зовнішньоекономічної діяльності, принцип доступності адміністративних послуг, які надаються органами публічної адміністрації (реалізація принципу «єдиного вікна» в роботі органів та посадових осіб Державної митної служби України) тощо.
 Зазначається, що зважаючи на мету національної держави набути повноправного членства в Європейському Союзі, наближення національних митних правил та процедур до стандартів та принципів ЄС є ключовим завданням публічної адміністрації в Україні.
 Формулюється висновок про те, що дослідження принципів правового регулювання митних режимів в Україні є основою для подальшого вдосконалення чинного національного законодавства та юридичної практики, розроблення перспективного законодавства у сфері правового регулювання митних режимів.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ПОЛІТИЧНОГО ІМІДЖУ УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ ЄВРОІНТЕГРАЦІЇ

The article is devoted to defining the concept of state political image and its role in integration processes. The phenomenon of state political image, factors of its influence are researched and the definition of the process of formation of a state political image is given. The role of a positive state political image for successful and enriching political integration is determined and an urge to form a needed state political image of Ukraine to meet the expectations of European Union authorities is justified. The concept of image diplomacy is considered, its tasks in terms of informing internal and external audiences are described and its necessity in the context of Ukraine's European integration is substantiated. The modern political image of Ukraine is characterized by three categories of conditionally statistical, conditionally dynamic- social and institutional aspects; the shortcomings in the process of Ukrainian state political image creation and retransmission in the context of the newest European integration aspirations of our state are revealed. An assessment of Ukrainian leadership activities in general and specialized authorities of our state specifically in connection with the formation of the modern political image of Ukraine is given. Positive changes in the perception of Ukraine abroad due to the change of the political vector of our state are analysed, the task of further formation of the political image of Ukraine in the European area and on the international arena in general is substantiated. The actions of the Ukrainian authorities to create special bodies designed to form and retransmit the political image of Ukraine in the international arena are considered. The existing information and communication mechanism of forming the political image of Ukraine is analyzed and the ways of its optimization are developed. The model of an information and communication mechanism of Ukrainian state political image creation is offered and recommendations on effective implementation of the created model considering the European integration vector of Ukraine and general tendencies in current international political affairs are given.

Migration policy and national minorities in the Republic of Lithuania: lessons for Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to determine the factors that influenced the process of the development and implementation of Lithuania’s foreign and domestic policies in the field of migration within the framework of the EU rules (dispositive and imperative) and identify those factors that may have a similar effect on the stability of migration processes in Ukraine with regard to its accession to the EU. The task is to determine the problems (negative preconditions and consequences) of the migration sector based on the analysis of more than a decade of experience of Lithuania as an EU member and the influence of the latest European crisis. Lithuania’s strategies with regard to the following issues are relevant to Ukraine’s European integration aspirations: the migration crisis in the EU, in terms of overcoming it through a “relocation plan;” and the integration of the national minorities of Lithuania, including the Roma minority, into the country’s civil society. Furthermore, some of Lithuania’s efforts actively support Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, such as the attempt to model how current problems can be predicted and resolved by Ukraine if it acquires EU membership, on the basis of Lithuania’s experience, which has relevance for Ukraine due to the fact that Lithuania and Ukraine – along Poland and other countries – inherited the Soviet system of government, and because of their similar mentality and current bilateral relations. After the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, and the subsequent EU migration crisis in 2015, Lithuania reviewed its national policy priorities taking into account that its state boundary is the part of the EU boundary, without any “buffer zone.”

Memory Policy and European Integration Aspirations of Ukraine (2014-2019)

The article analyzes peculiarities of Ukraine’s memory policy in 2014-2019 in the context of its European integration aspirations.
 The features of the politics of memory / historical politics in Ukraine are described after the dramatic events of the end of 2013-2014, which were proclaimed as a “Revolution of Dignity” (or “Euromaidan”). These events were also connected with the beginning of Russian aggression in the East of Ukraine, with the beginning of so called “Leninopad” (demolition of monuments to Lenin) and forced decommunization up until 2019. That is, to the changes in the political class of Ukraine related to the election of the 6-th President Volodymyr Zelensky. Undoubtedly, memory policy will change and its content will receive a separate consideration in the nearest future. The author of this article first of all strived to stimulate broader scholarly discussions on this topic. Scientist’s conscience demands to be modest in answering even those questions that appear simple at first sight. The scientific novelty is to summarize the key trends of the memory policy in Ukraine in 2014-2019 and to identify a number of problems that have a negative impact on Ukraine’s European integration process. The article considers Ukrainian experience of memory policy as a mechanism for influencing political reality.
 Memory policy refers to effective mechanisms for influencing political reality, in particular, to change the degree of social consolidation, citizens’ self-awareness, the formation and strengthening of collective identities. In 2014-2019 the gradual awareness of the effectiveness of these mechanisms caused the increase of interest in collective memory, which was demonstrated by the leaders of the state, politicians, political parties and civil society structures. The formation and implementation of memory policy in Ukraine were getting increasingly conscious and directed. The search for such a model of memory policy, which would be able to promote the consolidation of these groups into a united civil society, to convert a diversity of the images of the past of Ukraine into its resource, not its problem. This is also encouraged by the ongoing Russian hybrid aggression. One of its manifestations appears a permanent imposing on Ukrainians of the imperial-Soviet image of the past by the propaganda structures of the Russian Federation. This is prompted by a well-defined strategy for Ukraine’s European integration. As the experience of 2014-2019 has shown, Ukraine with some of foundations of its historical policy fits quite organically into the pan-European scheme (for example, by strengthening the influence and role of civil society in this area). At the same time, there were some problems during the mentioned period. First of all, they were related to the search for an adequate model of the collective memory, which focuses on the value of the state as a common homeland and a human rights’ guarantee. An important step was 2014 decommunization policy in Ukraine. By condemning totalitarianism (Nazi and Soviet models), it ensured that Ukraine’s public space was cleansed of communist symbolism (though not definitively). At the same time, it has created new risks and new questions that need to be discussed and answered with the obligatory participation of expert scientists.

ANALYSIS OF ENERGY POLICY OF UKRAINE

The article considers the trends of public administration in ensuring the energy efficiency of Ukraine's economy. The relevance of scientific research of state energy policy in the field of energy efficiency is due to current trends in integration development of the country, as well as recognition at the state level of the fact that modern energy saving legislation does not meet the current level of public relations. Today, in the field of efficient use of energy resources, there are about one hundred and fifty regulations, a system of standards, and a number of other normative and methodological documents. These acts and documents through direct or indirect legal influence on relations in the field of efficient use of energy resources allowed to create a structure of public administration and control in the field of energy resources, to introduce a system of standardization of fuel and energy resources and more. Energy efficiency monitoring should be based on a clearly defined system of indicators, which, in turn, should consist of: integrated generalized macroeconomic indicator (energy intensity of GDP), indicators that characterize the energy intensity of economic sectors (gross value added energy), individual production efficiency as well as indicators that characterize the energy efficiency of certain technologies, types of equipment, materials. In the context of Ukraine's European integration aspirations, issues of energy policy and energy efficiency in particular are becoming particularly relevant, given the problems that arise during its implementation. The authors analyze the mechanism of formation and implementation of the state energy policy of Ukraine in the field of energy efficiency in general, the dynamics of energy consumption, as well as the reasons for non-implementation of energy efficiency programs in Ukraine. In turn, the conducted SWOT-analysis of Ukraine's energy policy demonstrates special areas that should be given priority in order to achieve optimal performance in the implementation of national energy policy.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC GROWTH: AN ANALYSIS OF PANEL DATA

The realization of Ukraine's European integration aspirations and integration into globalization processes exacerbate the challenges and threats to the national economy in the segment of protection of social interests and especially in the context of the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. This raises several issues aimed at studying the theoretical and methodological, and applied aspects of the formation and development of social security at the level of the state and society, and at the level of the individual. In particular, the paper analyzes the essence and content of the concept of "social security", its types and forms of manifestation. Particular attention in the study is paid to determining the factors influencing the level of social security of the state, including through the prism of interaction on indicators of socio-economic development. A system of principles was defined on which the concept of sustainable economic growth through the prism of social security should be based, namely: the level of socio-economic development of the state, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, improving the welfare of the population, compliance with state standards and social guarantees in the field of finance, patriotic education, completion of financial and administrative-territorial decentralization, implementation of gender-oriented policy at all levels of government, creation of appropriate working conditions, etc. Based on this, the main indicators that determine the state of social security were analyzed: level of education, level of welfare, the share of the working population, mortality rate, population growth rate, real GDP growth rate, and GDP per capita, etc. According to the results of the analysis, the problems of social security in a pandemic was identified and a set of recommendations aimed at forming a safe and progressive development of the country, increasing its competitiveness in the world economic arena, which will generally increase social guarantees and well-being as an individual and society as a whole.

Підготовка вчителів у 50-60 роки ХХ ст.

In the context of Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, economic and political globalization, the rapid development of science and technology, the sociocultural role of the teacher significantly increases, since he is the guarantor of the future state, preparing new generations for the fulfillment of social responsibilities, and forms the culture of youth. That is why we consider it necessary to study historical experience and adapt the best pedagogical ideas of the past to modern conditions. The aim of the article was to study the experience of teacher training in the 50-60 years of the twentieth century and the definition of ideas that can be applied in modern times. Based on the study of archival materials, we came to the conclusion that the positive ideas that are relevant for our time are: the selection of the best for admission to study at pedagogical universities; the presence of a letter of recommendation from an educational institution, from a place of work or society; when entering a pedagogical university, give preference to those who have practical pedagogical experience. When organizing the educational process, preference was given to education and organization of collective work, which forms the ability to work in a team, and is relevant for our time. One of the directions in the training of teachers was to bring learning closer to the realities of the school. Lectures on the “Pedagogy” course were in large volume – 80 lecture hours. Among the shortcomings in the organization of the pedagogical process that are common for the past and present: the mismatch of the pedagogy program with the requirements of society, the need for continuous improvement of textbooks, methods, forms of work, methods teaching, the lack of a single generally accepted position on the definition of pedagogical concepts. However, problems with the lack of textbooks and methodological support are no longer relevant today due to the creation of the Internet network and electronic resources.

Теоретичне обґрунтування сутності, значення і особливостей мовної компетентності офіцерів військових частин Національної гвардії України

The relevance of the article is due to the European integration aspirations of Ukraine and the prospects of joining its security forces, including the National Guard of Ukraine, to the NATO. So, the formation of language competence in modern conditions is an integral part of the officer’s professional development and training. Theoretical analysis of scientific sources on the language competence development in servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and law enforcement officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine revealed that this problem has not been studied and needs additional research. The essence of the language competence in the NGU officer is revealed as a personal integrative formation, which allows the specialist (an officer) effectively to communicate in foreign language, to achieve positive results in his professional activity. It is studied that the requirements of the NATO STANAG-6001, as well as various aspects of the NGU's professional activity should be taken into account when developing the language competence in NGU officers.

The Integration of Ukrainian Humanities into the International Academic and Information Space: Challenges and Prospects

The study outlines the most important global integration trends of the last decades in the scientific community. It characterizes state formation processes in the context of European integration aspirations and scientific integration of Ukraine. It states a significant increase of the requirements for scientific articles and their components, the rise of the role and number of English-speaking components, the increase in the visualization of the activities of scientists and scientific institutions in recent years. The study presents 2018–2019 statistics on the Ukrainian humanities scientific publications presented in the Scopus and Web of Science, leading global scientometric databases, as well as quantitative indicators of the publication activity in these databases of the members of the editorial boards of Ukrainian cultural editions. It identifies internal and external factors hindering the rapid ‘promotion’ of Ukrainian humanities to the international level. Based on the low level of Ukraine's presence in the global scientific and information space, the author concludes that the main tasks of Ukrainian humanities currently are to overcome the isolation from the European and global science development processes and to actively enter into powerful international scientific internet resources, i.e. Scopus and Web of Science. Implementing these tasks combined with balanced state policy in the humanitarian sphere will strengthen the authority of Ukrainian humanities and open the way to full integration into the global cultural processes.

РОЛЬ СУДОВОЇ ПРАКТИКИ У ФОРМУВАННІ КОНЦЕПЦІЇ АДМІНІСТРАТИВНОЇ ПРОЦЕДУРИ

The article emphasizes the need to adopt a legislative act on administrative procedure in Ukraine,which is conditioned by the European integration aspirations of the state, human-centeredorientation of public administration. In the absence of a single law that would contain therules of administrative procedure, fragmentary legal regulation of the procedure for adoptingadministrative acts, case law plays a significant role in shaping the concept of administrativeprocedure. The purpose of the article is to study the case law in order to outline the positions formulated by the court to understand the content of the administrative procedure, the rulesthat make it up. The study used the following scientific methods: empirical, which was able totrack among a large number of court decisions, which formed positions that embody the basicprinciples and principles of the concept of administrative procedure, and theoretical, includinganalysis and generalization, which allowed to draw conclusions about the role of judicial practicein developing the basic foundations of administrative procedure. Legal procedure, interpreted bythe court as part of the rule of law and the rule of law, is an important guarantee against abuse bypublic authorities in decision-making and actions that must ensure fair treatment of the individual.As a result of the research it was found out that the courts have developed and outlined in theirdecisions a number of positions on understanding certain aspects of administrative procedure: theessence of legal procedure, its significance in administrative and legal regulation; the essence ofthe principle of legitimate expectations; regarding the assessment of the ratio of the violation ofthe administrative procedure with the legality of the adopted act; understanding of a person’s rightto be heard (or the right to participate in administrative proceedings); ensuring the legitimateinterest (trust) of the person in maintaining the administrative act; on the admissibility of evidencein administrative proceedings; impossibility of termination (cancellation) of an administrative act,the effect of which is exhausted by execution, as well as regarding the principles of implementationof discretion by the public administration. The article concludes that the case law forms the basicideas and conclusions that can be embedded in the doctrine of administrative procedure. Thus, infact, the courts fill the gaps in the legal regulation of the procedure for adopting administrative acts.

The modern concept of judicial protection of intellectual property rights

Introduction. The European integration vector of Ukraine's development has significantly increased the requirements for the quality of legal and regulatory support for the effective protection of human rights, which is one of the main conditions for integration into the European political, legal, economic and cultural space. The analysis of existing works shows that the attention of the scientific community to the judicial protection of intellectual property rights has intensified in connection with the creation of the Supreme Court of Intellectual Property in 2017. However, as of 2019, the court is still in the process of forming a judicial corps. In view of this, it seems appropriate to summarize existing developments in the relevant field. The purpose of the paper is to summarize the conceptual foundations of judicial protection of intellectual property rights. Results. The article presents the results of research into the modern concept of judicial protection of intellectual property rights. Emphasis is placed on the availability of research-related work performed in different jurisdictions. It is emphasized that the bulk of studies on intellectual property rights and certain aspects of their judicial protection are concentrated in the field of civil law, but equally important are studies of economic, criminal and administrative nature. It is noted that the cross-sectoral nature of the institute of intellectual property rights has affected the development of an interdisciplinary judicial and legal approach to solving problems of securing these rights. The importance of scientific understanding of the legal status of the High Court on Intellectual Property is emphasized. The importance of taking into account the European experience of judicial protection of intellectual property rights in the context of the processes of European integration of Ukraine is emphasized. Conclusion. The trends identified are as follows. First, intellectual property rights research is carried out at both general and sectoral levels. Secondly, an important area of development of theoretical and methodological support for the judicial protection of intellectual property rights is the study of the legal status, peculiarities of formation and future functioning of the High Court on intellectual property issues. Thirdly, it is of utmost importance to the factors that enhance the effectiveness of intellectual property rights protection in the context of Ukraine's European integration aspirations.

European Choice of Ukraine: Prerequisites, Contents and Main Factors

The proclamation of the Act on State Independence of Ukraine is a significant milestone in the history of the Ukrainian people on their way to national self-determination. A new phase of development has begun since 1991 when institutional factors have become crucial. First of all the creation of the Ukrainian state as a new national-state phenomenon takes place. During the years of independencethe process of Ukrainian state development was accompanied by opposition of political forces, which defended the multidirectional vectors of civilization development.The article deals with the issues of the European choice of Ukraine, as a strategic orientation of the socio-political development of the country, a priority direction of its national-state self-determination. The authors set out to analyze the prerequisites, substantive aspects, major internal and external factors that have influenced Ukraine's choice of a European vector of development.The study is based on the principles of objectivity, dialectics, historicism, social determinism, pluralism. The authors use general scientific methods, including inductive-deductive, analogies, modeling, etc. The comparative method has become an instrument of comparison, and consequently knowledge of the peculiarities of the state-political systems of Ukraine and other countries, which have become the benchmarks in the process of Ukraine's foreign policy self-determination.The article analyzes the attitude of Ukrainian citizens to the foreign policy and foreign economic development vectors of our country. It is revealed that the general rejection of the multilateralismpolicy significantly changed due to the Orange Revolution, when a sharp polarization occurred in society. The denial of the negative practices of V. Yanukovych's regime was manifested in the non-alternative choice of the European vector of Ukraine's development. The period of the presidency of P. Poroshenko has once again proved that only a radical implementation of the political, legal and social norms and standards of the EU will make it possible to overcome the oligarchic traits of the state – political system of Ukraine.Ukraine's European integration aspirations, such as a manifestation of its national-state self-determination, began to gain international legal prominence from the moment when the EU embarked on an enlargement to the East course. Ukraine, as a candidate for membership in a united Europe, has to undergo a series of transformations to adapt to EU norms and standards.However, the European choice as a project of national self-determination was confronted with a number of contradictions and inconsistencies between the mutual expectations of the subjects of this process, which led to the crisis of the whole project and political crises in Ukraine. A number of factors have hindered the implementation of the European integration plan, ranging from the internal instability of Western orientations within the country itself, the unwillingness of European Union members to further enlargement, and the massive opposition from Russia seeking to keep Ukraine in its political orbit.

УЧАСТЬ УКРАЇНИ В МАКРОРЕГІОНАЛЬНИХ СТРАТЕГІЯХ ЕС: КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНЕ БАЧЕННЯ ТА ВИКЛИКИ ГЛОБАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The theoretical aspects of inter-strategic cooperation on the implementation of the EU macro-regional strategies are studied. It is emphasized that the need to develop macro-regional strategies is due to the complex problems of territorial communities, to solve which the traditional methods of the sectoral and territorial management are insufficient and the area of distribution of territorial problems does not coincide with economic and administrative zoning. It is noted that Ukraine’s participation in the process of development and further implementation of the EU macro-regional strategies opens the chance to join the implementation of an important initiative of the European Commission, as well as to practically confirm the European integration aspirations. The focus is on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. The main directions of development of the Danube macro-region are determined. It is substantiated that Ukraine’s active participation in this EU Strategy will contribute to increasing the competitiveness of its regions, accelerating European integration processes and bringing the living standards of the population of border regions closer to the average European level. A conceptual vision of the implementation of the macro-regional strategy for the Danube region in Ukraine in the context of globalization challenges is formed. Attention is focused on the need for close cooperation between Ukraine and other participating countries in identifying and coordinating joint priority projects (resuming the work of the joint presidential commission, intensifying the dialogue within the existing Euro-regions, etc.). The authors emphasize the advisability of adapting the national planning system to the European principles, the need to harmonize the goals system of the national and regional strategies with the action plan and projects for the implementation of macro-regional strategies in the territories covered by the sphere of influence of the latter, and the importance of correlating the system of strategic measures with the EU policies. The key components on which the strategic planning for the development of Ukraine’s part of the Danube region should be based are identified. Priorities of Ukraine’s active participation in the implementation of the EU macro-regional Strategy for the Danube region are determined.

Загальні збори громадян за місцем проживання у Республіці Болгарія.

Another stage of municipal reform is taking place in Ukraine. The President emphasized that his program of further development of the state provides for close attention to the processes of decentralization of public power, which cannot take place in such a way as not to affect local self-government. Since general meetings of citizens at the place of residence are important for addressing issues of local importance that determine the extent of competence of local governments, research in this area is extremely relevant. One of the countries that has a Soviet past in common with Ukraine is the Republic of Bulgaria. Also, Bulgaria's experience is of considerable interest in terms of its EU membership. This interest is relevant, given the current European aspirations of Ukraine. Thus, the relevant experience of Bulgaria may be useful in exploring the prospects for further improvement of the legal regulation of such a form of direct democracy at the local level as the general meeting of citizens at their place of residence in Ukraine. The relevance of research on general meeting of citizens at the place of residence is increased if one examines the foreign experience of the EU Member States. This is due to Ukraine's European integration aspirations. The purpose of the article is to research the experience of regulatory regulation of the general meeting of citizens at their place of residence in the Republic of Bulgaria and to formulate proposals on the possibility of its application in Ukraine. Based on the experience of this country – a member of the European Union, the author concludes that it is advisable to carry out the regulation of local elections and local referendums in one piece of legislation. The author substantiates the thesis, that in the case of implementation of the legal regulation of local elections and local referendums in one piece of legislation, the Law of Ukraine, in which all other forms of direct democracy at the local level will receive their regulation, will cover the procedure of organization and holding of: general citizens meetings at the place of residence; local initiatives; public hearings.

Виртуальные организации в контексте евроинтеграции

The realization of the European integration aspirations of Ukraine requires, among other things, the appropriate legal framework, which is impossible without a proper theoretical substantiation. Integration processes in general and in the field of law, in particular, necessitate a coherent understanding of such basic concepts as “integra­tion”, “integration right”, etc., as well as the diligent attention of researchers to legal phenomena that have emerged and evolve under the new conditions of integration processes. Of particular interest are the legal phe­nomena associated with the information society and information technol­ogies, which, by their very nature, are a prerequisite, a means of securing or the result of integration processes (in particular, such as “virtual organ­izations”, startups, etc.). The article deals with the legal problems of the existence of the phenomenon of “quasi-corporations”, which are becoming widespread in the information society in the conditions of integration processes. It is suggested to understand that quasi-corporations are “virtual organizations” and similar phenomena (startup, etc.). It is analyzed the concepts and types of virtual organizations. It is drawn attention to the lack of legal framework for quasi-corporations in national law. The analysis of national law shows that the organizational forms that exist at present are not always suitable for responding to the challenges of the information society, and therefore new organizational forms (in par­ticular, virtual organizations) are emerging, more adapted to the realities of the present. It is concluded that the principles of legal regulation in the relevant field in the context of integration processes should be determined by international agreements, which are part of the integration (integrative) law.

Characteristics of the political values of the united Europe in the context of Ukraine's European integration aspirations

The analysis of political values of the European Union and source of their origin are analyzed, and the peculiarity of European values to the Ukrainian society is determined. It is concluded that despite the fact that the orientation towards joining the European Union is legally determined and supported by a large part of Ukrainian society, the transformation of all spheres of his life according to the values of the European community is extremely slow.
 Keywords: European political values, European integration, self-determination, democracy, freedom of speech

ПРОБЛЕМА СТАТУСУ КОСОВО В ПОЛІТИЦІ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ (1998 – 2016 рр.)

A particular feature of Kosovo’s internal policy development as an independent state and problematic reasons with a full international recognition of this fact is also highlighted. The research studied objective and subjective historical reasons for the state formation of Kosovo Albanians starting from the latent stage of this process within former Yugoslavia and then up to the declaration of Kosovo independence. Influence of Yugoslavia's collapse, as well as of external factors on Kosovo's separation from Serbia is also explored in this dissertation. A particular feature of Kosovo’s internal policy development as an independent state and problematic reasons with a full international recognition of this fact is also highlighted. Problem of Kosovo's status to the diplomacy of «power poles» in modern system of international relations within the context of NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 is underlined.The paper deals with EU policy on Kosovo Status. The author shows evolution of EU policy on Kosovo Status from diplomatic mission to «humanitarian intervention». These are the need for Kosovo independents. Another problem is to make a peace for Serbian-Kosovo relationship. Problem of Kosovo's status to the diplomacy of «power poles» in modern system of international relations within the context of NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 is underlined. A main tendency of Serbian policy towards Kosovo after the democratic transformation of political system of this state and in conditions of Serbia’s European integration aspirations was examined. NATO has been leading a peace support operation in Kosovo since Juni 1999 in support of wider international efforts to build peace and stability in the Balkan area. KFOR was established when NATO’s 78-day air campaign against Milosevic’s regime, aimed at putting to violence in Kosovo, was over. The operation derives its mandate from United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and the Military – Technical Agreement between NATO, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia. KFOR’s original objectives were to deter renewed hostilities establish a secure environment and ensure public safety and order demilitarize the Kosovo Liberation Army, support the international humanitarian effort and coordinate with the international civil presence. KFOR continues contribute towards maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and freedom of movement for all. NATO strongly supports the Belgrad-Pristina EU-brokered Normalization Agreement. The author shows evolution of Balkans states policy on Kosovo Status from Dayton Agreements for Peace in Bosnia to independence of Kosovo. The Serb minority of Kosovo, which largely opposes the declaration of independence, has formed the Community Assembly of Kosovo in response. Problem of Kosovo's status to the diplomacy of “power poles” in modern system of international relations within the context of NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 is underlined. A main tendency of Serbian policy towards Kosovo after the democratic transformation of political system of this state and in conditions of Serbia’s European integration aspirations was examined.

Income and structural convergence of Western Balkans to European Union

This paper aims to model the convergence of economic development of Albania within the Western Balkans and in the context of European integration aspirations of the region. The conclusion of this paper is that the Balkan countries have converged among themselves and toward European Union (EU). But the speed of the convergence is moderated with the hit of global crisis and the recovery still seems difficult to the rate of pre-crisis. As economies in transition that are attempting to converge with the European development stages, the economies of the Balkan countries have to go through structural evolutions that are similar among countries. The variables used in this study are the income per capita, growth rate, sector contribution to GDP growth and the added value per worker in agriculture. The data is measured for the period from 1995 to 2015 in order to establish a substantial data series for trend analysis and understanding if countries in the study are converging or diverging with EU in terms of their income and economies profile. The issue of the productivity and further specialization of their output by using their advantages in resources comes into question.

Smart specialization strategies for Ukraine

The article deals with the history and theoretical origins of the concept of strategies of smart specialization, its connection with other concepts and strategies, the normative base and the practice of its implementation in the European Union. The expediency of developing and implementing a strategy for smart specialties for Ukraine is analyzed, current status and perspectives are analyzed too. Also the existing foreign experience in designing economic and scientific and technical policy for further adaptation in Ukraine is reviewed. The landmarks of implementation of the European experience – “Strategy of Smart Specialization” (3S), its sources and tools according to the strategic goals of European integration – have been formed. The European integration aspirations of Ukraine and the association agreements already in force and the creation of a deep free trade zone have been analyzed. The main driving forces and incentives for the development of the CPI are the loss of traditional markets and the break-up of lasting cooperative ties with the Russian Federation; passive position of the state, which may lead to the actual imposition of low-tech specializations; the creation of profile regional clusters and the widespread use of the public-private partnership instrument; the need for the active use of all powers of the Associate Member status of Horizon 2020 for access to the design and implementation of 3S in Ukraine.

THE FORMATION OF THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ENTERPRISES OF MACHINE-BUILDING COMPLEX OF UKRAINE

The purpose is to analyse the existing approaches to determine the value of the production of innovative products and innovation in enterprises of machine-building complex of Ukraine in order to improve their level of competitiveness. Methodology. Statistical analysis and generalization of scientific approaches to the formation of the competitiveness of machine-building enterprises. Results of the of the analyzed approaches allowed to identify the cause of the imperfection of innovation policy in engineering. According to the research, the number of machine-building enterprises engaged in innovation activity, constantly shrinks; the share of innovative products in the total is only 3.5-4%, and the volume of imports of high-tech products exceeding the size of own production; the level of knowledge-intensive industrial production is only 0.3%. All this slows down the process of creating competitive products and as a result, the failure to provide highly own products to other industries, take a niche world of mechanical engineering. Practical implications. Ensure accelerated economic growth of the country as the defining condition for implementation of the European integration aspirations of Ukraine in the short term requires the intensification of innovative activity of the machine-building enterprises. The current state of innovation activity of enterprises in Ukraine is characterized by a number of negative factors: the internal environment of the majority of machine-building enterprises does not correspond to the market conditions of managing: high energy productions, the growth of the degree of wear and tear of fixed assets and reduce investment to update them, the lack of introduction of advanced production and resource-saving technologies, reducing innovation activity due to lack of financial resources significantly affect the level of the competitive machine-building enterprises. Value/ originality systematic approaches to determining the impact of innovation on the level of competitiveness of the machine-building enterprises on the external and internal markets.