In the context of the full-scale war initiated by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and amidst a significant increase in internal and external migration, ensuring the proper functioning of the postal mechanism has become an urgent challenge for the state. The legal significance of this issue has been amplified due to the ongoing local self-government reform in Ukraine. This reform is founded on principles such as equal access of residents from various territorial communities to public services, decentralization of power, and the systemic digital transformation of local self-government bodies. However, despite ongoing reforms in the administrative-territorial structure, local selfgovernment, and the sphere of electronic public services in Ukraine, the domain of postal services has seen only marginal improvements. Nonetheless, enhancing Ukrainian legislation regarding the legal regulation and administration of postal services is one of the focal points of negotiations for Ukraine’s potential membership in the European Union.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the state of development within Ukraine’s postal service sector and examine the mechanisms of its public administration and self-regulation. It seeks to identify the features of their application, particularly in the context of military aggression from the Russian Federation, and to provide recommendations to state bodies and postal operators for their enhancement.

This article scrutinizes the state of Ukraine’s postal service and its mechanisms of state regulation and self-regulation. It identifies key features of their application, including in the face of Russian aggression, such as democratic principles, alignment with international and European legislation, market liberalization, and the minimization of regulatory influence. The necessity of balancing the democratic nature of state regulation mechanisms with clear procedures for state supervision (control) to ensure compliance with legislation in postal service provision, reporting, and monitoring of service quality, has been underscored.

In the conclusions drawn from the study, individual recommendations to state bodies and postal operators are formulated. These recommendations aim to improve their activities and the mechanisms of legal regulation of public relations in this area, enhance inter-operator interaction, including collaboration between appointed and private operators. The necessity of developing a strategy for the development of postal communication and the advisability of creating an association of postal operators are also emphasized.

Bibliography

Journal articles

1. Horbal N, Sharovskyi Ya, Yaroshenko V, ‘Konkurentna sytuatsiia na rynku poshtovoho zv’iazku Ukrainy’ (2019) 5 Biznesinform 123–8.

2. Kushnir O, Kril O, ‘Doslidzhennia konkurentnoho seredovyshcha operatoriv poshtovoho zv’iazku’ (2021) 32 Ekonomika ta suspilstvo https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2021-32-38.

3. Zaiarnyi O, ‘Informatsiina sfera yak obiekt administratyvno-pravovoi okhorony: deiaki doktrynalni ta normatyvni aspekty’ (2016) 23 Zhurnal skhidnoievropeiskoho prava 18–23.

 Newspaper articles

4. Blinov A, ‘Vyzhyly ne vsi: shcho vidbuvaietsia z poshtovymy bankamy u sviti’ (Ekonomichna pravda, 16.06.2020) <https://www.epravda.com.ua/publications/2020/06/16/661788> (accessed: 10.12.2023).

Websites

5.Formuvannia pozytyvnoho imidzhu pidpryiemstv poshtovoho zv’iazku z vykorystanniam informatsiino-komunikatsiinykh tekhnolohii <https://op.edu.ua/sites/default/files/ publicFiles/studolympconf/sonce.pdf> (accessed: 10.12.2023).

6. Intehratsiia v ramkakh asotsiatsii: dynamika vykonannia uhody mizh Ukrainoiu ta YeS: analitychnyi zvit (vyd p’iate, dopovnene, V Movchan, I Kosse red, 2023) <http://www.ier. com.ua/files/Projects/2023/Report_Integration_2023_ua.pdf> (accessed: 10.12.2023).

7. Mininfrastruktury: IV Konhres Vsesvitnoho poshtovoho soiuzu vystupyv na pidtrymku Ukrainy ta yii poshtovoho sektoru (05.10.2023) <https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/ mininfrastruktury-iv-konhres-vsesvitnoho-poshtovoho-soiuzu-vystupyv-na-pidtrymkuukrainyta-ii-poshtovoho-sektoru> (accessed: 10.12.2023).