PRINCIPLES, STANDARDS AND VALUES OF THE EU HUMANITARIAN POLICY

Abstract

Background. For Ukraine, as a country that aspires to become part of the European Union, it is important to realize that integration into the EU is not limited to bringing domestic practices of institutional and legal mechanisms regulating various spheres of social relations in line with European standards. Equally important is the rapprochement with Europe in the cultural and spiritual plane, in the values, principles and standards that form the basis of the basic principles of state policy. In view of this, the issues of ensuring human security, creating conditions for the expansion of human rights and freedoms, respect for national and religious characteristics, tolerance of cultural diversity, etc. are attracting increasing attention at the present stage. These are the characteristics that are most fully reflected in the state's humanitarian policy and should be the basis for Ukraine's European integration. This is the reason for the relevance of the topic chosen for this study. After all, the understanding of the basic values, principles and standards of the EU humanitarian policy largely determines how effective further processes of Ukraine's European integration will be.

Methods. In the course of the research, the method of theoretical analysis of scientific sources and the method of comparison were used to determine the level of coverage of this topic in domestic and foreign historiography, which allowed to research existing scientific approaches to solving the problem. The methods of generalization, formalization, analysis, and synthesis were used to reveal the value orientations of humanitarian policy in the EU countries. The study also involved a number of other general scientific and special methods of cognition, including abstraction, specification, induction and systematization. This made it possible to substantiate the essential characteristics of the principles and standards on which the EU humanitarian policy is based. In order to formulate the general conclusions of the research, the method of logical generalization of the results was used.

Results. The article examines the principles of supranationality and subsidiarity as the fundamental foundations on which the EU functioning is based. At the same time, it was established that certain aspects of humanitarian policy relating to such issues as the development of culture, education, training, youth and sports were structured in the EU in such a way as to ensure maximum freedom of national governments to choose the ways of their development and thus avoid harmonization effect. In practice, this means that EU acts, which are binding on all member states, do not have to harmonize their legislation in terms of the development of these areas.

The central category in the issue of European self-identification is the establishment of common European values, which determine a distinctive European identity. The most fundamental values for the EU include respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

The article argues that adherence to these principles, as well as paying due attention to the protection of common European values, is an important integrating factor that ensures the unity of European countries not only on the basis of economic cooperation, but also in the humanitarian sphere.

Conclusions. The article establishes that the experience of the EU's functioning and enlargement is based on the spread of democratic principles and the rule of law. The principle of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and their guarantee acts as a unifying factor, a kind of value marker that indicates belonging to the European community. However, it should be borne in mind that each EU member state also has its own distinctive national identity, determined by its own unique historical experience. The formation of the humanitarian space of each individual country takes into account the experience of its own political history, economic and socio-cultural development trends. Respect for national identity, lack of harmonization in some cultural issues are also among the principles that influence the formation of a common European humanitarian space.