European experience of digitalisation of the executive branch: relevant lessons for Ukraine

The article explores the European experience of digitizing the executive branch of government in the context of implementing the concepts of good governance and e-governance. Ukrainian and European scientific approaches to digitizing public administration are compared. Dominant directions for changing the paradigm of public administration in Ukraine are outlined in line with the requirements of digitization as an integral part of the good governance concept. It is emphasized that to ensure sustainable digital development and enable rapid digital transformation of executive authorities in Ukraine, it is necessary to guarantee the implementation of the "digital by default" principle, which has been introduced in EU member states. The impact of European legal initiatives on digitizing public administration in the period 1999-2021 on the process of digitizing the executive branch in Ukraine is analyzed. The article argues that the European experience not only serves as a source of legal borrowing for deepening legal reforms in the field of digitization but also represents a common denominator that Ukraine should achieve in the legal sphere while implementing legal standards in the digitization of its public administration. The conclusion is drawn that Ukraine needs to not only intensify efforts to bring the digitization of the executive branch closer to the best legal and managerial practices of the EU but also ensure regular monitoring of the full implementation of current legal obligations under the Association Agreement with the EU and other international agreements in the field of digitizing the executive branch.

administrative regulations, e-governance, electronic document, electronic citizen identification, digital literacy, transparency of public administration