About Ukraine Official language: Ukrainian Capital: Kyiv Independence: August, 24, 1991 Location: Central-Eastern Europe, part of the East-European plain, between 44''20' and 52''20' N and 22''5' and 41''15'E. Area: 603 700 km2 Climate: moderately continental, except for Southern Crimea, where the climate is subtropical, of the Mediterranean type. The Carpathian climate is also mild, with warm winter and rainy summer. Average winter temperature is from -8° to -12° C (from +17.6° F to +3° F). In the Southern regions average winter temperature is 0° C (+32° F). Average summer temperature is from +18° to +25° C (from +64.4° F to +77° F), although maximum temperature can be more than +35° C (+95° F). Best time to visit Ukraine: summer, late spring and early autumn. Population: 47 732 079 (25th in the world, population density – 80 p/km2) Currency: hryvnia (letter code UAH, digital code 980) Time zone: GMT+2 (UTC+2) Internet top-level domain: ua International phone code: 380 Country Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe in terms of area (603,700 sq. km) and fifth in Europe in terms of population (46.2 million people). The country is known as “The Breadbasket of Europe” due to its unique treasure – fertile black earth. Ukraine is a country with a thousand- year history whose roots reach back to the time of Kyivan Rus (9th century). What is this country like today? For foreign travelers, its name sometimes evokes contradictory associations. For those who have not been here before, these are formal stereotypes: “Chornobyl”, “the Klitschko brothers” and “the Orange Revolution”. For those who have seen the country from the inside, they are bright impressions, like “I am surprised how modern and nice this country is,” or “My main impression of Ukraine is its people, who are open, sincere, hospitable and beautiful.” Here, there are many unusual things for foreigners, and this is mostly the case because Ukraine’s modern times are times of drastic growth. Here, cities grow swiftly, business life is in full swing, and new talents and ambitious plans are being born. To visit Ukraine today is to feel the pulse of dynamic life in that part of the European continent which only 15 years ago was terra incognita for most foreigners. Rapid development always entails bright contrasts: wealth and poverty, the newest technologies and outdated manufacturing facilities from Soviet times, as well as modern business centers and multi-apartment buildings in remote residential districts in the cities. The development of democracy is also drastic: This is both “the Orange Revolution” and dynamic internal politics. However, present-day Ukraine is changeless in one thing: It is bringing modern European and general world standards very swiftly into its life; it is integrating into European and Euro-Atlantic security and cooperation structures and bringing to light for the world community the truth about the tragic pages of its history, in particular, the Holodomor genocide of 1932–1933. Having visited Ukraine, you will see all this both in politics and business, as well as in relations between people. We are confident that becoming acquainted with Ukraine will turn into a bright impression for you, which you will never be able to forget! Constitution The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) adopted the Constitution of Ukraine in force June 28, 1996 According to this country’s Basic Law, Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic, and social state with a rule of law. Although such features as ‘sovereign’ and ‘independent’ are, in fact, closely similar, in this case the European constitutional tradition and principal thesis of fighters for Ukrainian statehood are concurrent. By the ‘democratic’ feature the principle of the government by the people is emphasized being defined concretely by Article 5 stating that “the people are the bearers of sovereignty and the only source of power in Ukraine” exercising it “directly and through bodies of state power and bodies of local self-government.’ By the attribute ‘social the responsibility of the State to provide for the social protection of the population is stipulated, while the ‘rule of law’ implies that in Ukraine legality is to reign as the general measure of freedom, equality and justice. Principle is the definition of the form of government by Article 6: “State power in Ukraine is exercised on the principles of its division into legislative, executive and judicial power.” The Constitution defines by Article 75 the Verkhovna Rada as the sole organ of legislative power in Ukraine, with the highest executive body being the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (Article 113). The Constitutional Court of Ukraine and courts of general jurisdiction exercise judicial proceedings in Ukraine (Articles 124 and 125). Article 102 defines the status of the President of Ukraine: “The President of Ukraine is the Head of State and acts in its name.” The Constitution of Ukraine currently in force was assessed on the whole positively by the most authoritative in the sphere of constitutional legislation “Democracy through the Law” Commission of the Council of Europe”, more known as “the Venetian Commission”. The Ukrainian Road to the Constitution In the princely Ukraine-Rus the initial written judicial laws wet reformed on the basis of common law. The first recorded reference of the code of law Statut i Zakon Ruskyi (“Charter and the Laws of Rus”) contains in the treaties with Byzantium of 911 and 944 A.D. In the 11th century, the Codes of Laws of the 9th and 10th centuries became part of Yaroslav the Wise Rus’ka Pravda (“Russian Justice”). To judge by this document the Kievan Rus had indeed contained certain democratic elements. The internal social relations had been carried out predominantly on the basis of law under which considerable role was played by representative structures, in particular Viche that functioned as assembly of a town or principality residents. At the meetings of this sort princes were elected sometimes and treaties worked out that stated the rights and obligations of the sides. In the 18th century, Pylyp Orlyk elected Hetman after the death of Ivan Mazepa wrote in a bright page in the history of the world constitutional endeavor. His treatise Pacty i Konstytutsii Zakoniv ta Volnostei Viyska Zaporizkoho (Pacts and Constitutions of Laws and Rights of the Zaporizia Army, 1710) is believed to be the first constitution of the Ukrainian state. Based on the idea of the natural law and the contractual origin of state, in accord with it, the people of Ukraine made a treaty with a Hetman transferring him a share of their freedoms for the sake of securing internal consent and external safety of the state. The document formulated principles of division of representative and executive powers and impartiality of judiciary subordinate only to the law. In general terms, Pylyp Orlyk’s constitution had been concordant with the then tendencies of development of European political thought (in particular, in asserting separation of church from secular arm), and in some aspects even outstripped European political theory and practice (e.g., preferring constitutionalism over the idea of state absolutism and consent enforcement reigning at that time on the Continent). Late on, the motifs of justice, freedom, equality, and goodwill were sound in the documents of the Brotherhood of Saint Cyril and Methodius (1845 to 1847). It was Mykhailo Drahomanov and Mykhailo Hrushevsky who made the subsequent steps in creating political and legal conception of the balanced society. These theoretical possessions of the Ukrainian liberation thought had played considerable role in the political processes that occurred in Ukraine after the February revolution and October Bolshevyk coup that wiped the Russian Empire from the face of political map in 1917. On November 20, 1917, the Central Rada of Ukraine, the first elected parliamentary organ in the country’s history, adopted the Third Universal (Declaration and program address). It became the first constitutional act of the new Ukrainian state that guaranteed its people personal immunity, freedom of speech, press, assembly and faith. Already on January 22, 1918, the Central Rada adopted the Fourth Universal that proclaimed sovereignty and independence of Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR), however the Draft of the UPR’s Constitution never materialized on account of the coup in April 1918 that cancelled the innovations of the Central Rada. Almost simultaneously with the processes of revival of the Ukrainian state on the territory that was part of the Russian Empire, in the other part of Ukraine that was under the Austria-Hungary rule the Ukrainian National Rada was formed that declared sovereignty of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic (WUPR) and adopted its Provisional Basic Law. Under this constitutional act power belonged to the people that could elect parliament through equal, secret, direct and proportional voting. However, in eight months because of Ukrainian-Polish the WUPR ceased to exist. During the military struggle of Bolshevyks for the reestablishment of Soviet regime in Ukraine the First Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR was adopted at the Third all-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets with certain changes introduced after formation of the USSR in 1922. Later on, in accord with new Constitutions of the USSR in 1936 and 1977, the Constitutions of the Ukrainian SSR of 1937 and 1978 were correspondingly adopted. The proclaimed by the Soviet constitutions principles of formation and functioning of structures of power were predominantly of formal character. Elections at all levels happened as semi- compulsory voting for candidate without alternative appointed by the nomenclature Party organs. Deputies thus elected had, in fact, a single duty, that is, to formally and in accord with tradition unanimously approve decisions taken by the Communist Party organs.