Factor of the Concept «Europe of Regions» in the Processes of Decentralization in Ukraine

The article considers the process of development of the decentralization reform in Ukraine, started in 2014. The aim of the article is to analyze the conformity of the reform process with the strategic goals declared be government and expectations of the European organizations that have directed their efforts to support democratization and improve the quality of administration in Ukraine. The article focuses on the historical and political significance of the concept of «Europe of Regions», the influence of which determined the course of the integration process on the European continent and of the task of regionalization of the countries of Europe. In the article was proposed to consider the reform of decentralization in Ukraine in the context of a pan-European trend that began more than sixty years ago. The author drew attention to the existence of a significant scientific base, formed in Europe as a result of the development of decentralization reforms. Was considered the process of forming the European policy of decentralization and regionalization, was noted the influence of such organizations as the Assembly of European Regions, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, the Committee of the EU Region. It was pointed out that devolution, deconcentration, divestiture, and deregulation are traditionally the forms of decentralization, which manifest themselves in the political, budgetary and administrative spheres with the aim of weakening centralism and overcoming the unification and unitarist tendencies. The article examines the strategic goals of the government of Ukraine from 2014 and the expert and institutional assessments of the four-year stage of reform in Ukraine. It is indicated that the data of national sociological companies diverge from the expert assessments presented in 2017–2018 by the organizations of the Council of Europe and the EU, as well as by the parliamentary committee of the Ukraine-EU Association. It is noted that the declared goals of the government to implement Decentralization reforms in practice prove to be poorly supported by real actions. The reason for this is the unwillingness to carry out a full-scale reform, on the one hand, in connection with the events in Donbass and the Crimea, and on the other hand, due to the divergence of the views of Ukrainian reformers with the ideas of the supporters of the European idea of «Europe of the Regions».