Features of international practice of interaction between political authority and civil society

Abstract

The article analyzes international legal acts on guaranteeing the participation of public institutions in the law-making process and the reform process. It has been found that the legislation of the vast majority of international countries provides for the creation of special units that function on a permanent basis. It was established that the effectiveness of international politics directly depends on the participation of civil society in the entire political process. It is theoretically justified that in most international countries, civil society institutions are partners in decision-making and implementation of public policies and are involved in all stages of its development. The main principles of the interaction of government bodies and public institutions are determined - openness of government, participation of public institutions in social processes, responsibility of state bodies to public institutions, coherence of actions. The main directions regarding the involvement of public institutions in the implementation of political processes, regulated by the practical recommendations «Standards and practices in the member states of the Council of Europe regarding public participation in decision-making», were considered. It is substantiated that effective mechanisms of interaction between public institutions and state bodies are: involving the public using information and communication technologies (electronic portals, consultation platforms); conducting consultations (expert seminars, public discussions, surveys, questionnaires, proposals, meetings). The importance of conducting consultations with the mandatory provision of feedback was noted. The stages of conducting online consultations with civil society, which are part of the e-government initiative of the Republic of Malta, as well as the international positive experience of interaction between the political authorities and society in terms of the social protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens, because the provision of state social policy to ensure the appropriate level of social protection are considered as one of the main factors of proper interaction between political power and civil society. The positive experience in the context of the researched Estonia, Croatia, France was analyzed, and suggestions were made for its implementation in domestic legislation.