Abstract
In this article, we use the notion of ‘path dependence’ to explain, on the one hand, Ukraine’s continuing dependence on Russia stemming from the hundreds of years that the Ukrainians were governed by the Russian Empire and later the USSR. Among other things, this dependence led to some parts of Southern and Eastern Ukraine being populated by Russian-born settlers and their descendants, which is still manifested in their historical and sociocultural orientation toward a closer integration with Russia. On the other hand, the notion of ‘path dependence’ implies significant differences between Ukraine and Russia, especially due to many Ukrainians self-identifying as a European nation. The European self-identification of Ukrainians is apparent in the desire of the vast majority to overcome dependence on Russia through integration into the European political, legal, cultural, and economic system. We firmly believe that, to successfully overcome dependence on Russia, Ukraine and Ukrainians first need a fundamental recognition of European standards of human rights and the European human rights protection model in general. The success of the 2014–2018 democratic reforms in Ukraine is obvious, but no less obvious is the fact that the positive changes in Ukraine are far from irreversible. At present, the biggest threat to Ukraine is the ‘force field’ of the ‘Russian World’, and it is in being able to efficiently resist this threat that Ukraine needs Europe’s support the most.
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Notes
- 1.
Akt proholoshennia nezalezhnosti Ukrayiny (1991).
- 2.
Pro osnovni napriamy zovnishnioyi polityky Ukrayiny (1993).
- 3.
Deklaratsiya pro derzhavny suverenitet Ukrayiny (1990).
- 4.
Petrov and Serdiuk (2009), pp. 189–220.
- 5.
Stratehiya intehratsiyi Ukrayiny do Yevropeyskoho Soyuzu (1998).
- 6.
Programa intehratsiyi Ukrayiny do Yevropeyskoho Soyuzu (2000).
- 7.
Zakon Ukrayiny ‘Pro zasady vnutrishnioyi i zovnishnioyi polityky’ (2010).
- 8.
Zakon Ukrayiny ‘Pro natsionalnu bezpeku Ukrayiny’ (2018).
- 9.
Konstytutsiya Ukrayiny (1996).
- 10.
Zakon Ukrayiny ‘Pro Zahalnoderzhavnu programu adaptatsiyi zakonodavstva Ukrayiny do zakonodavstva Yevropeyskoho Soyuzu’ (2004).
- 11.
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, and Ukraine (1994).
- 12.
Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part (2014).
- 13.
Ibid.
- 14.
Kodeks zakoniv pro pratsiu Ukrayiny (1971).
- 15.
Council Directive (2000) establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation.
- 16.
David (1985), pp. 332–337.
- 17.
Alexander (2001), pp. 249–270.
- 18.
- 19.
Sourgens (2016).
- 20.
Hathaway (2003).
- 21.
Petrov and Serdiuk (2009), pp. 189–196.
- 22.
Mälksoo (2015), p. 76.
- 23.
Zelensky rizko vidpoviv na zayavu Putina: zi spilnoho z Rosiyeyu u nas zalyshyvsya lyshe kordon (2019).
- 24.
Kerikmäe et al. (2019).
- 25.
Morlino and Sadurski (2010), p. 217.
- 26.
Rechitsky (2018).
- 27.
Konstytutsiya nezalezhnoyi Ukrayiny (1998) knyha 2 chastyna 1, pp. 29–31.
- 28.
Serdiuk and Petrov (2010).
- 29.
A prime example is the harshly critical response by F. Burchak, a member of the Constitutional Commission, to the proposition of one of the Council of Europe experts to include a provision for the ‘right to common freedom’ in the Constitution: ‘it’s nonsense … you can’t just mechanically copy the norms of other legal systems’ (Konstytutsiya nezalezhnoyi Ukrayiny (1998), knyha 3 chastyna 3, p. 83).
- 30.
- 31.
Kovler (1996), pp. 23–24.
- 32.
Konstytutsiya nezalezhnoyi Ukrayiny (1998), knyha 3 chastyna 1, p. 27. It should be noted that the sources of constitutional provisions on human rights cite UN treaties more frequently than the European Convention on Human Rights, which remained yet to be ratified.
- 33.
Supra n, knyha 3 chastyna 2, p. 284.
- 34.
Ramiro Troitino and Pando Ballesteros (2017).
- 35.
Kurkin (2008), p. 112.
- 36.
Konstytutsiya nezalezhnoyi Ukrayiny (1998), knyha 3 chastyna 3, p. 305.
- 37.
Sajó (1997), pp. 4–7.
- 38.
Rishennia Konstytutsiynoho Sudu (2012).
- 39.
- 40.
Bowring (2013), pp. 140–173.
- 41.
PACE Opinion 190 (1995).
- 42.
PACE Opinion 193 (1996).
- 43.
Barabash (2013).
- 44.
Kazansky (2014).
- 45.
Busygina (2013), pp. 111–121.
- 46.
Krastev (2011), p. 39.
- 47.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta (2012).
- 48.
Krasnov (2013), pp. 465–477.
- 49.
Rogozhin (2001), pp. 31–37.
- 50.
Kurkin (2008), pp. 115–116.
- 51.
Troitiño et al. (2018).
- 52.
Zorkin (2010).
- 53.
Ispolinov (2018).
- 54.
- 55.
Pashin (2014), pp. 78–91.
- 56.
A typical example of trying to imitate civil society.
- 57.
Troitiño (2017).
- 58.
Tserkov i vremya (2014).
- 59.
Zakon Ukrayiny ‘Pro zahyst suspilnoyi morali’ (2003).
- 60.
Delegaty 4 vseukrainskogo foruma semyi trebuyut likvidirovat dolzhnost upolnomochennogo po voprosam gendera (2019).
- 61.
Which reminds us of an apt Soviet-era joke: ‘What do you need for art to flourish and for religion to decline? Free art from the state and make religion state-mandated.’
- 62.
Ukraine’s parliament backs changes to Constitution confirming Ukraine’s path toward EU, NATO (2019).
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Barabash, I.H., Serdiuk, O.V., Steshenko, V.M. (2020). Ukraine in European Human Rights Regime: Breaking Path Dependence from Russia. In: Ramiro Troitiño, D., Kerikmäe, T., de la Guardia, R., Pérez Sánchez, G. (eds) The EU in the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38399-2_14
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