AN ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES AND THE DETERMINATION OF THE DIRECTIONS OF ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The subject of the study is the process of development of the territorial communities of European countries and the prospects of introducing a better international experience on the territory of Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to study and generalize the experience of European countries regarding the development of territorial communities and the introduction of a decentralized management system and determine the directions of its implementation in Ukraine. The main objectives of the study are: studying the experience of developed European countries in the development of united territorial communities and developing recommendations on the main directions of implementation of international experience of the development of territorial communities in Ukraine. Methods. During the writing of the work, the following general scientific methods were used: theoretical generalization, comparative analysis, graphical, analytical, analysis and synthesis. Results. The experience of European countries regarding the development of the united territorial communities has been studied, the main directions of improvement of this process in Ukraine are determined taking into account international experience. Conclusions. Thus, today the problem of implementing a strategic choice of Ukraine remains a rather difficult task not only against the background of the foreign policy situation of the state but also because of problems during the implementation of reforms of the domestic policy direction. Notwithstanding the experience of other countries in terms of decentralization, this concept remains unclear for most Ukrainians, since the introduction of such a system abroad is due to historical experience, taking into account the specifics of the formation and development of a particular state, therefore the borrowing of a particular model does not guarantee success in its implementation in Ukraine. The difficulties of implementing the decentralization reform are not only related to the need to transform the system as a whole but also to the availability of possible risks for local and national government, and the formal consolidation of the foundations of decentralization requires the development of a clear mechanism for its use in practice, taking into account different levels and types of this concept (horizontal and  vertical, political, socio-economic, ecological decentralization, etc.). The study of international experience of decentralization has shown that Ukraine needs to develop a concept for the introduction of decentralization of state power, which will become the basis for the implementation and preparation of relevant laws. The main direction of implementation of international experience in Ukraine is the further consolidation of territories with the increase of their financial capacity, which requires improvement of organizational and legal and financial mechanisms for the implementation of this process. The study of the best international practices indicates that decentralization reform should be based on the voluntary consolidation of territories in the united community in the presence of state control in the framework of the fulfillment of its functions.