STRENGTHENING LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AS A KEY VECTOR OF REFORMING UKRAINE'S REGIONAL POLICY IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Abstract

B a c k g r o u n d . The beginning of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union in June 2024 marked the country's transition to a qualitatively new stage. In this context, territorial communities acquire particular significance. The article examines the potential of Ukraine's territorial communities in the process of European integration through the prism of strategic development, institutional capacity, and the spatial approach to regional policy. The analytical basis of the study consists of the principles of the Territorial Agenda 2030 (TA2030) and materials of the European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion (ESPON).
M e t h o d s . The article uses a set of methods. The method of comparative analysis is applied to identify common and different development trends of Ukraine and the EU Member States in the field of regional policy, as well as to assess Ukraine's readiness for integration into the European space. The method of content analysis is applied. The systemic and structuralfunctional methods made it possible to study territorial communities as holistic systems and to reveal the interconnections between the institutional, spatial, and strategic aspects of their development in the context of European integration.
R e s u l t s . The results of the study demonstrate that the territorial communities of Ukraine are consolidating their role as key subjects of regional policy and active participants in the process of European integration. Their role in the implementation of reforms is steadily increasing. At the community level, the principles of sustainable development, subsidiarity, multi-level governance and territorial cohesion defined in the Territorial Agenda 2030 (TA2030) are practically implemented.
C o n c l u s i o n s . To ensure the effective progress of Ukraine in the process of European integration, coordinated actions of public authorities, territorial communities, and civil society institutions are necessary. The further development of Ukraine's regional policy should be based on the principles of partnership and the effective use of EU financial instruments. The future of Ukraine in the EU largely depends on the potential of its territorial communities.