Key stages of adapting the acquis communautaire to Ukraine's legal system: a historical overview

The article is aimed at clarifying the status of regulatory and legal support for the process of adaptation of the national legislation to the acquis communautaire. It is stated that the Ukrainian state has already completed most of the steps to join the EU. Attention is focused on the relevance of the study, which is due to Ukraine's officially obtaining the EU candidate status and the transition to the negotiation process between the EU and Ukraine on the latter's accession to the EU. The author analyses the provisions of Ukrainian legislation and scientific research on the understanding of the concept of ‘acquis communautaire’. The author's definition of this legal phenomenon is formulated, which should be understood as the sources of EU law, standards, principles of external and internal activities and other achievements of the European Communities. The author's own approach to distinguishing four stages of adaptation of the national legislation to the acquis communautaire in chronological order is proposed. The first stage was when Ukrainian legislation implemented the EU norms and standards to establish economic cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in various areas for the development of various relations between the partners. The second stage was a testament to the irresistible desire of Ukraine and Ukrainians to be part of the EU community and contributed to the signing and entry into force of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The third stage demonstrates Ukraine's path from the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement to the EU candidate status. The fourth stage is connected with the European Council's announcement of the start of negotiations with Ukraine on the country's accession to the EU and the need for comprehensive harmonisation and adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the EU acquis in connection with the prospect of EU membership. It is emphasised that the implementation of the acquis communautaire into the national legal system should pursue national interests and be a political, economic, legal and social consensus on key issues of European integration transformations