In today’s context, issues relating to sources of administrative law gain renewed momentum under the impact of a range of aspects, including: an increased quantity of administrative law provisions and the ways (forms) of their consolidation; incorporation of provisions of the international and European level into the system of national law; challenges of law administration practice stemming from the unavailability of perfect rules for resolving conflicts which arise between the provisions of law in general and the provisions of administrative law in particular.

The purpose of the article is to form an updated view of the system of national law sources and to arrange them with regard to each other.

The stated objective is achieved by a comprehensive and consistent application of the appropriate scientific tools which are represented by such scientific analysis methods as logical and semantic, historical, and comparative legal methods, analysis and synthesis, etc.

The primary focus of the article is made on the importance of studying the sources of administrative law and arranging them into a perfect system.

The author begins the analysis by exploring the system of national formalized sources of administrative law which, according to the author, is comprised by laws and by-laws, the latter being represented by acts which may be classified into three separate subsystems: 1) the system of by-laws of public authorities; 2) the system of by-laws of the authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; 3) the system of by-laws of local self-government bodies.

In the course of further scientific research, the article highlights that the Constitution of Ukraine may not be classified among the sources of administrative law. The author offers an appropriate substantiation of such a standpoint and at the same time notes that this statement in no way excludes or diminishes the binding nature of the Fundamental Law for public administration entities, as well as for other parties to relations under administrative law which are under the obligation to comply with and be guided by it in the course of their activities. In other words, the Constitution of Ukraine, not being a source of administrative law, does not lose its fundamental regulatory significance in the public administration domain.

The article criticizes the provisions of national legislation which establish that only the international treaties ratified by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine get the status of a source of law in Ukraine.

The author gives special consideration to the specific place taken by the instruments passed by the European Union (EU) in the system of sources of administrative law. It is concluded that today the EU legal instruments are the legal basis (a source of law) only for the law-making activities of public administration entities which should comply therewith while developing and adopting of national regulations (by-laws).

The author believes that there is a problematic provision in the Law of Ukraine “On the Judicial System and the Status of Judges” whish stipulates that opinions on the application of provisions of law set out in the decisions by the Supreme Court are binding upon each entity vested with public power which applies the statutory instrument containing a respective provision of law in its activities. The author claims that this rule violates the principle of separation of power and the foundations of a democratic and rule-of-law state.

Finally, the author formulates his view of co-subordination of formalized sources of administrative law by their legal effect.

Bibliography

Authored books

1. Detterbeck S, Allgemeines Verwaltungsrecht mit Verwaltungsprozessrecht (Verlag C H Beck 2006) (in German).

2. Alforov S ta inshi, Administratyvne pravo. Zahalna chastyna: navchalnyi posibnyk [Administrative Law of Ukraine. Common Part: Textbook] (Tsentr uchbovoi literatury 2011) (in Ukrainian).

3. Melnyk R, Zahalne administratyvne pravo v pytanniakh i vidpovidiakh: navchalnyi posibnyk [Common Administrative Law: Textbook] (Iurinkom Inter 2018) (in Ukrainian).

4. Miroshnychenko A, Zemelne pravo Ukrainy: pidruchnyk [Land Law of Ukraine: Textbook] (Alerta; TsUL 2011) (in Ukrainian).

Edited books

5. Aver’ianov V (holov red kol), Administratyvne pravo Ukrainy. Akademichnyi kurs: pidruchnyk [Administrative Law of Ukraine. Academic Course: Textbook], t 1: Zahalna chastyna [Common Part] (Iurydychna dumka 2004) (in Ukrainian).

6. Bytiak Yu ta Harashchuk V (zah red), Administratyvne pravo: pidruchnyk [Administrative Law: Textbook] (Pravo 2010) (in Ukrainian). 7. Hrytsenko I (zah red), Zahalne administratyvne pravo: pidruchnyk [Common Administrative Law: Textbook] (Iurinkom Inter 2014) (in Ukrainian).

8. Kovalenko V (red), Kurs administratyvnoho prava Ukrainy: pidruchnyk [A Course of Administrative Law of Ukraine: Textbook] (Iurinkom Inter 2012) (in Ukrainian).

Journal articles

9. Werner F, ‘Verwaltungsrecht als konkretisiertes Verfassungsrecht’ (1959) DVBI 527 (in German).

10. Dmytryk O, ‘Klasyfikatsiia dzherel finansovoho prava ta problemy yikh uporiadkuvannia’ [‘Classification of Financial Law Sources and Issues of the Arrangement Thereof’] (2013) 4 Forum prava 78-84 <http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/FP_index. htm_2013_4_16> (accesseed: 30.04.2019) (in Ukrainian).

11. Kostiuk V, ‘Osoblyvosti Konstytutsii Ukrainy yak dzherela trudovoho prava’ [‘Peculiarities of the Constitution of Ukraine as a Source of Labor Law’] (2005) 28 Naukovi zapysky. Yurydychni nauky 41-7 (in Ukrainian). 12. Kurylo V, ‘Pro systemu dzherel administratyvnoho prava’ [‘On the System of Administrative Law Sources’] [2009] 2(11) Yurydychnyi visnyk 30-3 (in Ukrainian).

13. Mazaraki N, ‘Dzherela administratyvnoho prava’ [‘Sources of Administrative Law’] (2015) 1 Pravo i suspilstvo 141-7 (in Ukrainian).

14. Melnyk R, ‘Pryntsyp zakonnosti vs. pryntsyp pravomirnosti: do pytannia pro onovlennia yurydychnykh zasad diialnosti orhaniv publichnoi vlady’ [‘The Principle of Legality vs. the Principle of Legitimacy: More about Updating the Legal Foundations of Operation of Public Authorities’] (2018) 11 Pravo Ukrainy 14-31 (in Ukrainian).

15. Pohorilko V, ‘Dzherela konstytutsiinoho prava Ukrainy: poniattia, vydy i systema’ [‘Sources of Constitutional Law of Ukraine: the Concept, Types and System’] (2002) 3 Pravo Ukrainy 8-16 (in Ukrainian).

Thesis

16. Halitsyna N, ‘Administratyvno-pravove zabezpechennia realizatsii kontseptsii sotsialnoi derzhavy’ [‘Administrative Law Framework for the Implementation of the Concept of a Social Welfare State’] (dys d-ra yuryd nauk, 2016) 150-1 (in Ukrainian).

Websites

17. Pavlikovska L, ‘Pravove zabezpechennia zovnishnikh zv’iazkiv Ukrainy’ [‘Legal Framework for External Relations of Ukraine’] (Ministerstvo yustytsii Ukrainy) <http:// old.minjust.gov.ua/56> (accessed: 30.04.2019) (in Ukrainian).