The influence of the Council of Europe law on the national legal system of Ukraine

The article explores the structure and the legal system of the Council of Europe, which is classified as an international legal system. It includes institutional (legal subjects), normative (system of principles and the rule of law, the external forms of objectification of law) and functional (the rulemaking process, application and interpretation of law) subsystem. The Council of Europe adopts two types of acts – Convention (international legal documents having the character of liabilities) and recommendations (adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and do not have the character of liabilities). The Council of Europe has developed 216 conventions, most of which are open. Ukraine is a party to 83 CoE legally binding documents (as of August 2014). Another 20 signed, but not ratified documents awaiting the completion of the respective internal procedures. The rule of law the Council of Europe is classified: a) by the method of legal regulation – for mandatory, discretionary and non-binding; b) by the method of creation – on contractual and those which are created as a result of decisions or recommendations. One of the most important achievements of the Council of Europe is to develop pan-European human rights standards. The foundations of this system were laid down by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950. A distinctive feature of the Convention is to establish an independent supranational mechanism to monitor compliance with its provisions and prosecution of offenders, the main element of which is the European Court of Human Rights to ensure a uniform interpretation and application of the Convention by all States Parties. The article analyzes the basic methods and principles used by the ECtHR in the interpretation of the Convention: the principle of «autonomous concepts»; the principle of «positive obligations»; protection method «ricochet»; method of establishing a «national borders evaluation». ECtHR precedents bind not only the court but also mandatory for all States Parties, including Ukraine. Courts of general jurisdiction of Ukraine increasingly turning to the provisions of the Convention and the practice of the Court in the presence of gaps in national legislation, in the case of non-compliance of Ukrainian legislation with the Convention and the decision of the court, when used in judicial practice principles such as the rule of law, justice and the like. The most common cause of human rights violations is the incompatibility of national legislation with the European Convention. The legal examination of normative legal acts designed to ensure that compliance. The article describes the procedure and the consequences of the legal expertise of draft legal acts of Ukraine on compliance with the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the European Court of Human Rights. Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2011–2014 provides a set of priority activities designed to assist in the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation, institutions and practices in line with European standards on human rights, the rule of law and democracy. This includes, in particular, ensuring free and fair elections, judicial reform, anti-corruption, anti-laundering of proceeds from crime, as well as freedom of expression and strengthening social safety nets.У статті досліджено структуру й особливості правової системи Ради Європи; проаналізовано методи і принципи тлумачення Конвенції про захист прав людини і основних свобод Європейським судом з прав людини; розглянуто процедуру і наслідки проведення правової експертизи проектів нормативно-правових актів України на їх відповідність Конвенції про захист прав людини і основних свобод та практиці Європейського суду з прав людини.В статье исследована структура и особенности правовой системы Совета Европы; проанализированы методы и принципы толкования Конвенции о защите прав человека и основных свобод Европейским судом по правам человека; рассмотрена процедура и последствия проведения правовой экспертизы проектов нормативно-правовых актов Украины на предмет их соответствия Конвенции о защите прав человека и основных свобод и практике Европейского суда по правам человека