Institutionalization of public consultations as an instrument of interaction between public authorities and civil society institutions in Eastern European members of the European Union: lessons for Ukraine

Abstract

The article investigates the European experience of institutionalization of public consultations as an instrument of interaction between public authorities and institutions of civil society in several Eastern European states of the European Union in the context of considering the possibilities for further implementation of European standards of the studied interaction in the national legal framework and the system of public administration. The legal framework regulating the functioning of the instrument of public consultations in Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria was analyzed. The authors revealed the features of law enforcement of the appropriate legal framework in these countries taking as an example the organization of public consultations measures on certain political and legislative initiatives of the European Union. A special attention is paid to the practice of consultative measures within an effort to prepare national recovery and resilience plans. Based on the analysis, the author concludes about the unequal level of NGO engagement in the decision-making process through the instrument of consultations in these states.

Keywords

• public consultations
• institutionalization
• public authorities
• public administration
• european union
• civil society institutions
• non-governmental organizations
• instrument of interaction