Public Influence on Legislative Process in the Problem of De-occupation of Donbas

Abstract In the context of the Ukrainian crisis, the Law ‘On the specifics of state policy to ensure the state sovereignty of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Lugansk regions’, which is also called the ‘Law on De-occupation (or Reintegration) of Donbas’, became the key point. After four years of occupation of parts of southeastern Ukraine, the adoption of such a law was necessary, since this particular law formed and legally established the legal and organizational conditions for the resumption of territorial integrity of Ukraine. The importance of this law and the consequences of its adoption caused public involvement on behalf of civic organizations, political analysts, representatives of the academic and economic elite in the process of its discussion. However, due to the small amount of time from the stage of the legislative initiative to the publication of the law, it was not officially discussed by the public. Despite this, the enactment of the law led to an active public debate. Our study is aimed to investigate the degree of public involvement in the political decision-making process and the extent of public influence on lawmaking in Ukraine on the example of this legislative act.