Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Derecho Público "Dr. Humberto J. La Roche"
de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas de la Universidad del Zulia
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Esta publicación cientíca en formato digital es continuidad de la revista impresa
ISSN-Versión Impresa 0798-1406 / ISSN-Versión on line 2542-3185Depósito legal pp
197402ZU34
ppi 201502ZU4645
Vol.40 N° 73
Julio
Diciembre
2022
Recibido el 03/03/2022 Aceptado el 28/04/2022
ISSN 0798- 1406 ~ De pó si to le gal pp 198502ZU132
Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas
La re vis ta Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas, es una pu bli ca ción aus pi cia da por el Ins ti tu to
de Es tu dios Po lí ti cos y De re cho Pú bli co “Dr. Hum ber to J. La Ro che” (IEPDP) de la Fa-
cul tad de Cien cias Ju rí di cas y Po lí ti cas de la Uni ver si dad del Zu lia.
En tre sus ob je ti vos fi gu ran: con tri buir con el pro gre so cien tí fi co de las Cien cias
Hu ma nas y So cia les, a tra vés de la di vul ga ción de los re sul ta dos lo gra dos por sus in ves-
ti ga do res; es ti mu lar la in ves ti ga ción en es tas áreas del sa ber; y pro pi ciar la pre sen ta-
ción, dis cu sión y con fron ta ción de las ideas y avan ces cien tí fi cos con com pro mi so so cial.
Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas apa re ce dos ve ces al año y pu bli ca tra ba jos ori gi na les con
avan ces o re sul ta dos de in ves ti ga ción en las áreas de Cien cia Po lí ti ca y De re cho Pú bli-
co, los cua les son so me ti dos a la con si de ra ción de ár bi tros ca li fi ca dos.
ESTA PU BLI CA CIÓN APA RE CE RE SE ÑA DA, EN TRE OTROS ÍN DI CES, EN
:
Re vicyhLUZ, In ter na tio nal Po li ti cal Scien ce Abs tracts, Re vis ta In ter ame ri ca na de
Bi blio gra fía, en el Cen tro La ti no ame ri ca no para el De sa rrol lo (CLAD), en Bi blio-
gra fía So cio Eco nó mi ca de Ve ne zue la de RE DIN SE, In ter na tio nal Bi blio graphy of
Po li ti cal Scien ce, Re vencyt, His pa nic Ame ri can Pe rio di cals In dex/HAPI), Ul ri ch’s
Pe rio di cals Di rec tory, EBS CO. Se en cuen tra acre di ta da al Re gis tro de Pu bli ca cio-
nes Cien tí fi cas y Tec no ló gi cas Ve ne zo la nas del FO NA CIT, La tin dex.
Di rec to ra
L
OIRALITH
M. C
HIRINOS
P
ORTILLO
Co mi té Edi tor
Eduviges Morales Villalobos
Fabiola Tavares Duarte
Ma ría Eu ge nia Soto Hernández
Nila Leal González
Carmen Pérez Baralt
Co mi té Ase sor
Pedro Bracho Grand
J. M. Del ga do Ocan do
José Ce rra da
Ri car do Com bel las
An gel Lom bar di
Die ter Nohlen
Al fre do Ra mos Ji mé nez
Go ran Ther born
Frie drich Welsch
Asis ten tes Ad mi nis tra ti vos
Joan López Urdaneta y Nil da Ma rín
Re vis ta Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas. Av. Gua ji ra. Uni ver si dad del Zu lia. Nú cleo Hu ma nís ti co. Fa-
cul tad de Cien cias Ju rí di cas y Po lí ti cas. Ins ti tu to de Es tu dios Po lí ti cos y De re cho Pú bli co
“Dr. Hum ber to J. La Ro che”. Ma ra cai bo, Ve ne zue la. E- mail: cues tio nes po li ti cas@gmail.
com ~ loi chi ri nos por til lo@gmail.com. Te le fax: 58- 0261- 4127018.
Vol. 40, Nº 73 (2022), 215-232
IEPDP-Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas - LUZ
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy
on the Principles of Social Governance
in EU Countries
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46398/cuestpol.4073.10
Liia F. Sulieimanova *
Yuliia V. Bohdan **
Oksana V. Deliia ***
Yevhen M. Bilousov ****
Tatiana I. Pavlyuk *****
Abstract
The purpose of this article was to identify the characteristics
of the development of Ukraine’s social policy in the context of
integration into EU standards. The historical method was used
to perform analysis of documentary sources in the temporal
context and to investigate the genesis of the introduction of
social policy and trends towards its further development with Europe. The
legal method was also used to investigate Ukrainian and EU legislation
and its application in the social eld, in order to investigate its gaps, as
well as its inuence on integration processes. By way of conclusion, it was
determined that the processes of European integration and, more precisely,
the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards in the social eld
played an important role in the development of the country’s social policy.
At the same time, there were dierences in terminological approaches to
key categories of the legislative systems of Ukraine and the EU, as well as in
separate areas of social policy.
Keywords: governance; social policy; European integration; social
justice; collective well-being.
* PhD in Philosophy, Senior science ocer, Department of Scientic and Educational-Methodical
Support of the Content of Preschool and Primary Education in the New Ukrainian school, State
Scientic Institution “Institute of Education Content Modernization”, 03035, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID
ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7801-4507
** PhD in Law, Attorney, Head of the Advocate Association “USO”, 03110, Kyiv, Ukraine. ORCID ID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6898-2675
*** PhD in History, Director of the Poltava Applied Cooperative College, 36000, Poltava, Ukraine. ORCID
ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9806-5328
**** Doctor of Law, Professor, Department of European Union Law, Yaroslav Mudryi National Law
University, 61024, Kharkiv, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3998-9947
***** PhD in Economics, Associate Professor, Department of Economics and International Relations,
Faculty of Economics, Management and Law, Vinnytsia Institute of Trade and Economics of Kyiv
National University of Trade and Economics. 21050, Vinnytsia, Ukraine. ORCID ID: https://orcid.
org/0000-0002-5417-6250
216
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
Formación de la Política de Ucrania Social sobre los
Principios de Gobernanza Social en los Países de la UE
Resumen
El propósito de este artículo fue identicar las características del
desarrollo de la política social de Ucrania en el contexto de la integración a
las normas de la UE. El método histórico se utilizó para realizar análisis de
fuentes documentales en el contexto temporal y para investigar la génesis
de la introducción de la política social y las tendencias hacia su mayor
desarrollo con Europa. Se utilizó además el método legal para investigar
la legislación de Ucrania y la UE y su aplicación en el ámbito social, con
el n de investigar sus lagunas, así como su inuencia en los procesos
de integración. A modo de conclusión se determinó que los procesos de
integración europea y, más exactamente, la adaptación de la legislación
ucraniana a las normas de la UE en el ámbito social desempeñaba un papel
importante en el desarrollo de la política social del país. Al mismo tiempo,
había diferencias en los enfoques terminológicos de las categorías clave de
los sistemas legislativos de Ucrania y la UE, así como en áreas separadas de
la política social.
Palabras clave: gobernanza; política social; integración europea;
justicia social; bienestar colectivo.
Introduction
The relevance of this work is determined by the need to study the social
policy of Ukraine in accordance with European integration processes.
The principles of social policy in Ukraine are one of the priorities
of public policy and they are entrenched at the constitutional level.
Accordingly, social policy aims to meet the needs of citizens through social
security and welfare aid by providing shelters, appropriate medical and
educational services and monetary payments to overcome poverty. Each
direction represents an important area of human needs, which should be
guaranteed and provided by the State at the appropriate level.
However, in the realities of the State’s strengthening, the social sphere
has been one of the most vulnerable ones since attainment of independence.
And with the beginning of Ukraine’s European integration, the process of
adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards and the demands of the
European community on Ukraine have led to a number of changes in the
regulatory framework of the social sphere in accordance with EU principles.
Thus, the relevance of our study stems from the need to determine the
feasibility and eectiveness of implementation of social policy in Ukraine
in the context of European integration processes.
217
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
The purpose of this article is to identify the features of legislative
development and patterns of practical implementation of social policy in
Ukraine in accordance with the European Union standards and norms.
This article denes the following tasks:
• to determine the place of social policy in Ukraine’s European
integration process;
• to analyse the state of practical implementation of social policy in
Ukraine in the context of European integration processes;
• to identify the main gaps and development trends in the social policy
of Ukraine and the European Union.
The purpose of this article is to study the development of social policy
in Ukraine on the basis of principles and under the inuence of integration
processes of the European Union.
The object of research is social relations in the eld of social policy
development in Ukraine in accordance with the process of adaptation
of legislation to EU standards and principles of social governance in the
European Union.
Development and practical implementation of social policy in Ukraine
remains a problematic issue. This problem becomes especially relevant in
connection with Ukraine’s European integration. It is necessary to analyse
the legislative, practical and scientic base of sources in the eld of social
policy of Ukraine and the European Union. It is important to explore the
features and gaps in the legislation, as well as their impact on integration
processes in the social sphere. These factors determine the relevance of this
article.
1. Literature Review
Okladna and Yakovyuk (2016) analysed the evolution of scientic views
on social policy as part of the European integration process of Ukraine
based on the scientic papers of the leading specialists in the eld of
European integration and social policy, statutes, legal and political acts of
the European Communities.
Aravacik (2018) undertook a detailed analysis of the process of changes
and transformations in dierent states and their social policy on a global
scale, which will be considered conceptually and in terms of historical
development. The paper established, that social problems change depending
on economic and environmental factors, as well as dier depending on the
social structure and public policy.
218
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
A study by Graziano and Hartlapp (2018) identied the causes of the
nancial and economic crisis and the change in the ideological composition
of the European Commission as a determinant of the agenda and became a
key driver of the European Union’s social welfare policy.
A study by Copeland and Daly (2018) identies the basic guidelines of
EU social policy and the place of the “European Semester” in EU social
development. It was noted that EU social policy is more focused on the
support of market development than on the correction of market failures,
due to a combination of factors, including the strong inuence of some
social agents in the context of restrictions, moderation in expectations and
adoption of strategic practices by the key agents as well as due to policy
dierences among Member States.
The work by Babenko et al. (2020) determines that ensuring sustainable
economic development in dicult political and economic conditions is one
of the priorities for Ukraine, which is forced to reorient the vector of foreign
economic cooperation to the integration groupings of the European Union.
Yakovlev (2020) reveals the importance of the principles of social
security law and their role in social protection of the population. According
to this study, the principles of social security are the key guidelines for rule-
making activities aimed at the formation of a new system of social protection
of the Ukrainian population. The more fully they are taken into account, the
more successfully they will be adapted to modern demands, and the more
reliably and eciently the relevant social security system will function.
It was proposed to establish the following principles of social security
law at the legislative level: multipurpose Ness, non-discrimination, equality
of rights and opportunities, social justice, targeting, planned use of funds,
State guarantees of the established rights, solidarity and subsidizing,
transparency, timeliness, provision of a standard of living not lower than
the minimum living standard, established by law, defence and protection
of the lawful rights and interests of citizens in accordance with the national
and international legislation. The more fully they are taken into account, the
more successfully they will be adapted to modern demands, and the more
reliably and eciently the relevant social security system will function.
Sokurenko (2020) considered the principles of the welfare state from
the perspective of some acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and
proved that formalization of the social State principles occurs due to some
acts of the Constitutional Court within the national legal system of Ukraine.
Another study, undertaken by Begg (2010) determines the very special
role and place of the “European Semester” in social and economic policy
coordination. In particular, it was determined that European market
integration contributes to the creation of an increasingly “social” Europe
and that the “European Semester” is now the main coordination mechanism
219
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
for socio-economic policy. In general, it is an annual cycle of coordination
aimed at better harmonization of the EU’s national social and economic
policies with commonly agreed objectives.
Karunarathne (2021) in the study of the relevance of social policy in
social maintenance noted the role of the State and public administration in
the development of social policy of each state.
The Covid-19 pandemic has become a signicant socio-economic
problem, causing a signicant crisis in the world. In 2019-2021, there
was a lot of research on various aspects of the pandemic and its impact on
the modern world. Another topical research is Cavallin’s (2021) study on
preventing pandemics by building bridges in EU Policy and Law of 2021,
which states that the approaches and positions of the EU and Member
States often lack determination and ambition and are limited in synergy
and coherence, representing lost opportunities both in terms of ambitions
and in building bridges in various areas in connection with the pandemic.
Vesan and Corti (2021) investigated the return of the Social
Entrepreneurship Commission before and after the Covid-19 pandemic in
the context of adoption of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR). The
paper identies that the EPSR was both a “policy support” and a “policy
trigger” strategy, deepening the EU’s social policy integration after a decade
of signicant political inertia.
Čeginskas et al. (2021) revealed that the discussion between the
countries of Northern and Southern Europe on Eurobonds or the Economic
Reconstruction Fund to respond to the economic and social consequences
of the Covid-19 pandemic is the most relevant example of lack of political
unanimity, which undermines the legitimacy of the Union. Researchers
have found that if heritage sites manage to create polyphonic interactions
between dierent groups and emotionally move people, they can help
increase empathy and solidarity.
These are necessary preconditions for building a social Europe based on
the recognition of the right to the same level of well-being in all Member
States and the responsibility for correcting structural inequalities as a joint
eort of Member States and EU citizens. Such an image of Europe can lay
the groundwork for more active social policy and raise this policy to the
top of the EU agenda. Therefore, European cultural heritage policies and
practices can and should help make Europe more “social”, especially as they
become more citizen-oriented.
At the same time, we cannot agree with the allegations of Jordan et al.
(2021), that in recent years the regime has not paid more attention to the
social goals of the EU. The authors indicated that this was done through an
in-depth analysis of pay statistics, employment protection and collective
bargaining policies in Germany, Italy, Ireland and Romania between 2009
220
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
and 2019. It was concluded that EU intervention in these three areas of
industrial relations policy continues through the liberalization program that
transforms the labour force into commodities, albeit to varying degrees, in
the uneven but still integrated European political economy. In our opinion,
the formation and social orientation of the EU has signicantly improved
in recent years.
2. Methods and Materials
This article uses general scientic and legal research methods, among
which the historical method is very important, as it allowed to conduct a
detailed study and analysis of materials in the historical context, as well as
to investigate the genesis of establishing social policy in Ukraine and trends
for its further development and integration. Also, legal and comparative-
legal methods were used to study the legal framework of Ukraine and the
European Union, and the practice of their application in the social sphere
and to explore the features and gaps in legislation, as well as their impact
on integration processes in the social sphere.
Having analysed Ukrainian and foreign academic and practical
literature , we have selected the scientic papers that allowed to study the
history of the social policy development in Ukraine, European integration
policy and legislation, as well as the practical consequences of their
application. Further, we carried out the analysis of the legislation of Ukraine
and the European Union in the eld of social policy.
The research procedure included determining the relevance of the
chosen research topic, analysis of scientic and practical methods and
approaches used to conduct research on EU social policy, as well as their
impact on the social sphere of Ukraine.
At the rst stage of the study, we reviewed the scientic sources for
the period from 2016 to 2021 to analyse the main aspects and theoretical
basis of European and Ukrainian social policies, and accordingly to analyse
dierent approaches. Also, it allowed to explore the historical background
and development of European social policy and determine the directions of
its further development. Next, a study of relevant legislation and current
legal and regulatory instruments was conducted.
The next stage involved the selection of practical and theoretical materials
in the eld of social policy in accordance with the criterion of territoriality
on the basis of an integrated approach, which allowed to identify the main
problems and prospects of this research, study the experience of the EU and
determine the state of development of this problem in dierent regions.
221
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
Next, we analysed the common and distinctive features of European and
Ukrainian social policies and identied the obstacles to the formation of
the Ukrainian social sphere on the basis of the EU principles. An important
aspect at this stage was the study of the compliance of social spheres with
the goals of sustainable development in these regions.
To verify the results, we analysed the budgets and nancial costs for
social security of Ukraine and the EU and undertook the appropriate
comparable monitoring of practical materials for the implementation of
certain areas of social policy in the EU and Ukraine.
3. Results
The analysis of the data conducted in this study conrms our hypothesis
that the denition of the list of principles of social policy in Ukraine is a
debatable issue.
One of the most controversial issues of Ukraine’s social policy is the
problem of principles, which play an important role in the provision of
social security. However, there is no scientic consensus regarding the
determination of the list of such principles.
Accordingly, there is a contradiction in approaches to understanding
the terminology of social policy in Ukraine. If the term “social policy” is
used in the EU countries, the Ukrainian legislation operates with such
terms as “social welfare policy”, “social protection policy” and “social
policy” itself. There are two points of view on the meaning of these terms:
the rst indicates their identity, and the second states that “social welfare
policy” and “social protection policy” are included into the notion of “social
policy”. The dierences in the legal systems of the EU and Ukraine, as
well as dierent legal systems (Anglo-Saxon legal system in the EU and
the Romano-Germanic legal framework in Ukraine) necessitate dierent
concepts and approaches to understanding of the term “social policy”.
In the empirical analysis, we compared the income and expenses of the
budget in certain areas for the last ve years (2017-2021).
Funding for 2021 was approved according to the Law of Ukraine “On
the State Budget of Ukraine for 2021” (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2020).
According to this document, the government revenues for 2021 amount
to 1,147,876,117.3 thousand hryvnias, and the state budget expenditures
amount to 1,385,492,043.2 thousand hryvnias.
The state budget for 2021 provides for almost UAH 160 billion for
healthcare, and almost UAH 170 billion will be allocated for the development
of education and science. Expenditures on national security and defence
222
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
are projected at UAH 267 billion, or 5.93% of GDP. In 2021, the minimum
subsistence level per person per month in Ukraine is in the amount of 2189
hryvnias from January 1; 2294 hryvnias from July 1, and 2393 hryvnias
from December 1. The minimum wage in 2021 in Ukraine from January 1 is
6000 hryvnias, from December 1 - 6500 hryvnias.
State revenues for 2020 amount to UAH 11,022,051,935 and state
budget expenditures for 2020 were provided in the amount of UAH
1,270,677,100.3. The maximum limit of Ukraine’s government decit is set
at UAH 298,404,307.9. In 2020, the minimum subsistence level per person
per month in Ukraine was from January 1, 2020 - 2027 hryvnias, from July
1 - 2118 hryvnias, from December 1 - 2189 hryvnias. The minimum wage
in 2020 was from January 1 - 4723 hryvnias, from September 1 - 5000
hryvnias (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2019).
Ukraine’s State budget for 2019 provided for government revenues in
the amount of UAH 1,007,303,177.9 and state budget expenditures in the
amount of UAH 1,093,021,713.2. In 2019, the minimum subsistence level
per person per month in Ukraine was 1853 hryvnias per month from January
1, 2019, 1936 hryvnias from July 1, and 2027 hryvnias from December 1
(Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2020). In 2019, the minimum wage from
January 1 was 4173 hryvnias (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2018).
Ukraine’s State budget for 2018 provided for government revenues in
the amount of UAH 917,998,866.4, and state budget expenditures in the
amount of UAH 991,930,698.4. In 2018, the minimum subsistence level
per person per month in Ukraine was 1,700 hryvnias from January 1, 2018,
1,777 hryvnias from July 1, and 1,853 hryvnias from December 1. In 2018,
minimum wage from January 1 was 3723 hryvnias.
Ukraine’s State budget for 2017 provided for government revenues in
the amount of UAH 771,266,617.6 and state budget expenditures in the
amount of 841,402,834.3. In 2017, the minimum subsistence level per
person per month in Ukraine was 1544 hryvnias from January 1, 2017,
1624 hryvnias from May 1, and 1700 hryvnias from December 1 (Verkhovna
Rada of Ukraine, 2016). In 2017, the minimum wage from January 1 was
3200 hryvnias.
Accordingly, Table 1 shows the following trends in budgeting for 2016-
2021.
Table 1. Social budget of Ukraine for 2017-2021.
Year
State
revenues
State budget
expenditures
The minimum
subsistence level
The
minimum
wage
223
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
calendar
year
Thousand UAH Thousand UAH
from
January
1
from
May
1
from
July 1
from
December
1
UAH
2017 771.266.617,6 841.402.834,3 1544 1624 1624 1700 3200
2018 917.998.866,4 991.930.698,4 1700 1700 1777 1853 3723
2019 1.007.303.177,9 1.093.021.713,2 1853 1853 1936 2027 4173
2020 11.022.051.935 1.270.677.100,3 2027 2027 2118 2189
from January
1 - 4723, from
September 1 -
5000.
1.147.876.117,3 1.385.492.043,2 2189 2189 2294 2393
from January
1 - 6000., з
from December
1 - 6500.
Source: Authors.
Thus, from 2017 to 2021, Ukraine’s government revenues increased
by UAH 376609499.7, state budget expenditures increased by UAH
544089208.9, the minimum subsistence level increased by 849 hryvnias,
and the minimum wage by 3 300 UAH. Thus, the percentage ratio can be
calculated as follows (Table 2).
Table 2. Percentage changes in the social budget of
Ukraine for 2017-2021.
Year
State
revenues
State budget
expenditures
The minimum
subsistence
level
The
minimum
wage
previous /
next year
% % % %
2017/2018 19,94 17,94 9,00 16,34
2018/2019 9,72 19,28 9,39 12,09
2019/2020 1094,54 16,26 4,49 19,82
2020/2021 -89,58 9,03 9,14 30,00
Source: Authors.
At the same time, the wage level in the EU in 2021 ranged from 300 euros
in Bulgaria to 2202 euros in Luxembourg (Eurostat, n. d.). It is estimated
that the average wage in Ukraine is less than 180 euros per month (Figure
1).
224
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
Figure 1: Comparison of average wages.
Moreover, although life expectancy in Ukraine is growing, it still remains
one of the lowest in the world (Worldometer, n. d.). We analysed the average
age in some EU countries and in Ukraine in 2020 and determined that the
average life expectancy in Ukraine is lower than the global by 0.7 years,
female life expectancy is higher by 1.67, and life expectancy for men is lower
by 3.24 years. In total, Ukraine ranks 119-th in the world (Table 3).
Table 3. Average life expectancy in Ukraine and the EU.
2020 World Ukraine Sweden France Germany Italy
Women 75.6 77.27 84.97 85.82 84.14 85.97
Men 70.8 67.56 81.69 80.32 79.62 81.90
In general 73.2 72.50 83.33 83.13 81.88 84.01
Source: Authors.
As a result, we should emphasize that Ukraine should pay more attention
to certain aspects of social policy development, but take into account the
fact that on general social indicators Ukraine cannot fully meet the EU
requirements. Nevertheless, given the data, it can be determined that the
direction of social policy in accordance with the European integration
processes has led to a signicant development of certain social indicators
in Ukraine.
225
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
As a result of the analysis of scientic and practical materials of 2016-
2021, we concluded that the social policies of Ukraine and the European
Union have signicant dierences that were not duly taken into account,
which complicates the process of adaptation and harmonization of
Ukrainian legislation with EU legislation.
In particular, the legislative frameworks of Ukraine and the European
Union are based on dierent legal systems that have dierent features of
their implementation.
Furthermore, the level of socio-economic development and government
priorities also play a signicant role in shaping the country’s social policy.
Accordingly, Ukrainian and European realities dier in these areas.
In our opinion, it is especially important that the coordination of policies
of EU Member States is among the main tasks of the EU, and migration
from the Middle East is a signicant problem, which has led to signicant
additional burden on the budget and social sphere of Europe and lead to
instability and made the crime situation worse.
At the same time, in Ukraine European integration plays a key role among
the main tasks, in the process of this integration it is important to adapt and
harmonize Ukrainian legislation to EU requirements, as well as to further
implement it eectively. An important task is the systematization of social
law rules and the formation of a comprehensive system of social policy in
accordance with the requirements and principles of the social direction of
the European Union. The main obstacles in the Ukrainian realities include
overcoming the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe and social
support for Chernobyl victims, which is an exclusively national issue of
Ukraine.
Secondly, the elimination and overcoming of the consequences of
Russian aggression, and, accordingly, social security and protection of ATO
participants, as well as their families, is an acute problem of Ukraine’s social
policy in the 2020-s. The issue of social security for internally displaced
persons became relevant with the annexation of the Autonomous Republic
of Crimea and the Donetsk region. These aspects have a signicant impact
on the social sphere of the State.
Ukraine’s European integration is the common goal, in which, in
accordance with modern political conditions, both sides are interested.
Also, both sides are characterized by the so-called “aging of the nation”,
i.e., citizens of pensionable age constitute the majority of the population,
which complicates proper social security.
Also, the whole world faced a dicult common issue related to the
Covid-19 pandemic in 2019-2022, which particularly aected the social
sphere of each country, including the EU and Ukraine. Accordingly, the
226
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
crisis in the social sphere of the countries of the world and their interaction
and the consequences of overcoming the epidemic is a topical area for
further research.
4. Discussion
As a result of the study, we determined the features of social Ukraine’s
policymaking under the inuence of European integration processes and
the dierence with the social policy of the EU. It was determined that the
Ukrainian and European preconditions of development and geopolitical
features signicantly inuenced its formation. The experience and trends
of the EU social direction have inuenced Ukrainian realities, but cannot
be considered as imperatives for Ukrainian reality.
In general, the EU is an international entity with a global reach which
has a number of special characteristics compared to state actors. Particular
challenges, which the EU is facing, include the diversity of institutions
and members, the eectiveness of its external actions, and the question of
legitimacy.
Social policy is concerned with how societies around the world meet
human needs for security, education, work, health and well-being (Platt, n.
d.). The complexity of the study is due to the peculiarities of socio-political
changes in public life, which led to a change in social needs (Aravacik,
2018). As a result of the 1991 Maastricht European Council, the Treaty on
Political, Economic and Monetary Union was concluded, which together
constitute the Treaty on European Union (2012). According to the Treaty,
Member States conrm their commitment to fundamental social rights
(Begg, 2010).
Changes in globalization processes have led to the need to reform the
social sphere, which is associated with the denition of new parameters
of social problems and the social policy transformation (Čeginskas et al.,
2021).
Despite the crisis, the European Pillar of Social Rights was adopted,
which was the impetus for development (Garben, 2019; Vesan and Corti,
2021). It identies 20 principles and rights necessary for equity of labour
markets and social protection systems (European Commission, n. d.).
Also, the European integration process in Europe has become especially
important for the development of the social sphere, as it has gradually
become a factor inuencing the socio-economic development of countries
around the world (Haas et al., 2020). In 2008, the European Parliament
adopted a Resolution stating that it is unacceptable to favour social rights.
Thus, the implementation of the common social policy becomes an essential
227
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
element necessary for strengthening internal ties within the EU and for the
formation of European identity.
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030
were adopted in order to ensure peace, social development and prosperity
for people and the planet now and in the future (United Nations, 2015). It
has been acknowledged that over the past fteen years, there has been a lack
of new policy solutions for underrepresented groups in the labour market
(Alcidi and Gros, 2017). These changes aect other areas, such as gender
equality, protection of social rights, health protection or global competition
for skills and innovations.
Thus, the Ukrainian social sphere must respond and develop in
accordance with the new directions and trends of European social policy.
Article 46 of the Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that all citizens have the
right to social protection, which includes the right to security (Voronina,
2020). The Association Agreement of June 27, 2014, between Ukraine and
the EU serves as a strategic guideline for systematic social reforms (Proskura,
2020). Ukraine, respectively, must provide gradual approximation to EU
law, standards and practices in the eld of social policy (Sokurenko, 2020).
At the same time, integration plays a key role among the main tasks of
Ukraine, within which it is important to adapt and harmonize Ukrainian
legislation with EU requirements. The main obstacles are overcoming
the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe and social support for the
victims. An acute problem of Ukraine’s social policy is the elimination and
overcoming of the consequences of Russian aggression, social security and
protection of ATO participants and their families. The issue of social security
for internally displaced persons became relevant with the annexation of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Donetsk region. These problems
strongly inuence the social sphere (Bekker, 2021).
The European integration of Ukraine is the general objective, in which,
in accordance with the political conditions, both parties are interested.
The high level of public debt in the EU and Ukraine is a factor that today
increases economic vulnerability (Casagrande and Dallago, 2021a, b).
Although a number of social reforms have not been successful, they have
led to signicant development and formation of new social policies in the
EU and Ukraine (Alcidi and Gros, 2017). The crisis in the social sphere
in recent years has been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has
particularly aected the social sphere of each country. At the same time,
the pandemic crisis is a window of opportunity for fundamental changes in
the social sphere (Ladi and Tsarouhas, 2020; Seabrooke et al., 2020).
228
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
Conclusions
As a result of the study, we can conclude that this policy is necessary for
the world community, as the social sphere is key area for the establishment
of democracy, human rights and in the formation of the appropriate level
of welfare of citizens of each state. Accordingly, current socio-political
changes, crises and challenges require a review and rethinking of basic
approaches and trends in the development of the social sphere.
The relevance of the work is determined by the need to study the social
policy of Ukraine in accordance with the processes of European integration
and the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The principles of social policy in Ukraine are enshrined at the
constitutional level and are one of State policy priorities, aimed at meeting
citizens’ needs through social protection and security, which must be
guaranteed and provided by the state at the appropriate level. However,
in the realities of Ukrainian nation building, the social sphere has been
one of the most vulnerable ones since independence. The development of
social policy in the state took place gradually, and scientic and theoretical
approaches to understanding social policy developed and improved
progressively as well.
And with the beginning of Ukraine’s European integration, it has led to a
number of complications and drastic changes in the social sphere that need
to be addressed. Therefore, our study of the need to determine the practical
feasibility and eectiveness of social policy in Ukraine in the framework of
European integration reforms is relevant and topical.
In general, in Ukraine and the EU there are dierent approaches to
understanding the socio-political processes arising from dierent political
systems of the countries, features and state of socio-economic development.
Accordingly, the problem of social security and social protection of
Chernobyl victims and ATO participants, the problem of social security
for internally displaced persons in Ukraine and migrants in the EU are
especially acute.
Instead, both sides have adopted the principles of sustainable
development and adhere to them, these principles have dened the main
criteria, needs and ways of socio-economic, social and environmental
development of countries.
It ought to be noted that for all countries of the world, including Ukraine
and the EU, the coronavirus pandemic 2019-2021 is a sensitive issue that
caused a signicant social and economic crisis.
229
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
Thus, we can conclude that the EU and European integration play
a signicant role in shaping Ukraine’s social policy. At the same time, it
should be recognized that the category of the social sphere has expanded
signicantly in recent years, which has led to a new understanding of the
role and importance of the EU in this area.
Taking into account the results of this study provide an opportunity to
more eectively and systematically approach the eective social policy-
making in Ukraine and its adaptation to EU standards.
Determination of the features of the application of social policy
principles in Ukraine, as well as exploration of the specicities of social
security and protection of Chernobyl victims and former members of the
ATO participants may constitute prospects for further research.
Bibliographic References
ALCIDI, Cinzia; GROS, Daniel. 2017. How to Strengthen the European
Semester, CEPS Research Report No.15. Center for European Policy
Studies. Brussels, Belgic.
ARAVACIK, Esra Dundar. 2018. Social policy and the welfare state. Bernur
Açıkgöz (Ed.). Public Economics and Finance. IntechOpen. London, UK.
BABENKO, Vitalina; PEREVOZOVA, Iryna; KRAVCHENKO, Maryna;
KRUTKO, Marharyta; BABENKO, Dariia. 2020. “Modern processes of
regional economic integration of Ukraine in the context of sustainable
development” In: E3S Web Conference. Vol. 166, Art. 12001.
BEGG, Iain. 2010. Economic and social governance in the making: EU
governance in ux.” In: Journal of European Integration. Vol. 32, No. 1,
pp. 1-16,
BEKKER, Sonja. 2021. “Hardening and softening of country-specic
recommendations in the European Semester” In: West European
Politics. Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 114-133.
CASAGRANDE, Sara; DALLAGO, Bruno. 2021a. “Socio-economic and political
challenges of EU member countries: grasping the policy direction of
the European Semester” In: Comparative Economic Studies (Ahead of
print). Available online. In: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41294-021-00171-
2. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
CASAGRANDE, Sara; DALLAGO, Bruno. 2021b. The future of the Eurozone:
towards a European benchmark. TIGER working paper series, No.
143. Available online. In: http://www.tiger.edu.pl/TWP_143.pdf.
Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
230
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
CAVALLIN, Elisa. 2021. “Preventing pandemics by building bridges in EU
policy and law’’ In: European Energy and Environmental Law Review.
Vol. 5, pp. 162-194.
ČEGINSKAS, Viktorija; KAASIK-KROGERUS, Sigrid; LÄHDESMÄKI, Tuuli;
MÄKINEN, Katja. 2021. “Constructing social Europe through European
cultural heritage” In: European Societies. Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 487-512.
COPELAND, Paul; DALY, Mary. 2018. “The European semester and EU social
policy (July 2018)” In: JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. Vol.
56, No. 5, pp. 1001-1018.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION. n. d. The European pillar of social rights
action plan Available online. In: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/
priorities-2019-2024/economy-works-people/jobs-growth-and-
investment/european-pillar-social-rights/european-pillar-social-rights-
action-plan_en. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
EUROPEAN UNION. 2012. Consolidated versions of the Treaty on European
Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
2012/C 326/01. Available online. In: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A12012M%2FTXT. Consultation date:
22/11/2021.
EUROSTAT. n. d. Disparities in minimum wages across the EU. Available
online. In: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-
news/-/ddn-20210205-1. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
GARBEN, Sacha. 2019. The European pillar of social rights: an assessment
of its meaning and signicance. In: Markus Gehring (Ed.), Cambridge
Yearbook of European Legal Studies, Vol. 21, (pp. 101-127). Cambridge
University Press. Cambridge, UK.
GRAZIANO, Paolo; HARTLAPP, Miriam. 2019. “The end of social Europe?
Understanding EU social policy change” In: Journal of European Public
Policy. Vol. 26, No. 10, pp. 1484-1501.
HAAS, Jörg; D’ERMAN, Valerie; SCHULZ, Daniel; VERDUN, Amy. 2020.
“Economic and scal policy coordination after the crisis: is the European
Semester promoting more or less state intervention?” In. Journal of
European Integration. Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 327-344.
JORDAN, Jamie; MACCARRONE, Vincenzo; ERNE, Roland. 2021. “Towards a
socialization of the EU’s new economic governance regime? EU Labour
Policy Interventions in Germany, Ireland, Italy and Romania (2009–
2019)” In: British Journal of Industrial Relations. Vol. 59, pp. 191-213.
231
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
Vol. 40 Nº 73 (2022): 215-232
KARUNARATHNE, Rasika. 2021. Importance of Social Policy in Social Welfare.
Available online. In: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3829850. Consultation
date: 22/11/2021.
LADI, Stella; TSAROUHAS, Dimitris. 2020. “EU economic governance and
Covid-19: policy learning and windows of opportunity” In: Journal of
European Integration. Vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 1041-1056.
OKLADNA, Maryna; YAKOVYUK, Ivan. 2016. Social Policy of the European
Union: Formation and Development. Oberih. Kharkiv, Ukraine.
PLATT, Lucinda. n. d. What is social policy? International, interdisciplinary
and applied. Available online. In: https://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/
about-us/What-is-social-policy. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
PROSKURA, Ganna M. 2021. Administrative and Legal Bases of Realization
the Human Right of Access to Ecological Information in Ukraine. PhD
thesis. National Aviation University. Kyiv, Ukraine.
SEABROOKE, Leonard; TSINGOU, Eleni; WILLERS, Johann Ole. 2020. “The
political economy of policy vacuums: The European Commission on
demographic change.” In: New Political Economy, Vol. 25, No. 6, pp.
1007-1021. Available online. In: https://doi.org/10.1080/13563467.201
9.1669549 Consultation data: 14/03/2021.
SOKURENKO, Valeriy. 2020. Principles of the welfare state in the perspective of
some acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. Doctrinal Approaches
in the Activity of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine: Collection of
Materials and Theses of the scientic practical online conference.
Constitutional Court of Ukraine. Kyiv, Ukraine.
UNITED NATIONS. 2015. Social development for sustainable development.
Available online. In: https://www.un.org/development/desa/
dspd/2030agenda-sdgs.html. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE. 2016. The Law of Ukraine on the State
Budget of Ukraine for the year 2018 from 21.12.2016 № 1801-VIII.
Available online. In: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1801-
19#Text. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE. 2018. The Law of Ukraine on the State
Budget of Ukraine for the year 2019 from 23.11.2018 № 2629-VIII.
Available online. In: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2246-
19#Text. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE. 2019. The Law of Ukraine on the State
Budget of Ukraine for the year 2020 from 14.11.2019 № 294-IX.
232
Liia F. Sulieimanova, Yuliia V. Bohdan, Oksana V. Deliia, Yevhen M. Bilousov y Tatiana I. Pavlyuk
Formation of Social Ukraine’s Policy on the Principles of Social Governance in EU Countries
Available online. In: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/294-
20#Text. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE. 2020. The Law of Ukraine on the State
Budget of Ukraine for the year 2021 from 15.12.2020 № 1082-IX.
Available online. In: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1082-
20#Text. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
VESAN, Patrik; CORTI, Francesco. 2021. “The return of the commission social
entrepreneurship before and after the Covid-19 pandemic” In: Journal of
European Integration (Ahead of print). Available online. In: https://doi.
org/10.1080/07036337.2021.1985114. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
VORONINA, Yulia Y. 2020. Theory and practice of public administration.
Textbook. Color Print. Melitopol, Ukraine.
WORLDOMETER. n. d. Life expectancy of the world population. Available
online. In: https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-
expectancy/. Consultation date: 22/11/2021.
YAKOVLEV, Oleksandr A. 2020. “The value of the principles of social security
law in the eld of social protection” In: Law and Society. Vol. 6, pp. 101-
106.
www.luz.edu.ve
www.serbi.luz.edu.ve
www.produccioncienticaluz.org
Esta revista fue editada en formato digital y publicada
en julio de 2022, por el Fondo Editorial Serbiluz,
Universidad del Zulia. Maracaibo-Venezuela
Vol.40 Nº 73
