The Reintegration of War Veterans as a Factor in the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas: Economic and Legal Aspects

Given the rapid growth in the number of war veterans in Ukraine, the issue of their reintegration, support in setting up and running businesses, and socialisation is becoming particularly pressing. Given the processes of depopulation and the decline of the rural settlement network, encouraging war veterans to run businesses and live in rural areas could become a promising direction for state policy. The aim of this article is therefore to examine the current economic and legal aspects of the reintegration of war veterans as a factor in the sustainable development of rural areas, to highlight the key shortcomings of existing legislation and to analyse prospective legislation, with a view to formulating proposals for improving the regulation of the relevant legal relationships. The methodological framework of this study was based on the following research methods: philosophical (dialectical), general scientific (formal-logical, systems analysis, and statistical methods of data processing and analysis) and formal-legal methods. The study revealed that the current system of state support for veterans’ entrepreneurship does not take sufficient account of the specific nature of agricultural activity and the needs of veterans seeking to set up their own businesses in rural areas. It has been argued that access to land resources remains a key prerequisite for the establishment of agricultural enterprises; however, the restrictions imposed during the period of martial law on the transfer, free of charge, of state- and municipally-owned land effectively prevent the implementation of the relevant land guarantees for war veterans. This study analyses existing and prospective mechanisms for ensuring that war veterans have access to land, in particular legislative initiatives concerning the setting aside of land, financial compensation and preferential leases of agricultural land. It has been established that such alternative mechanisms require improvement in order to ensure equality for veterans and the practical accessibility of land resources. Particular attention has been paid to state programmes providing housing support for war veterans in rural areas. It has been argued that, due to insufficient funding, the ‘Own House’ programme does not ensure an adequate level of housing affordability, whilst the ‘eOselia’ programme does not include any special incentives for the purchase or construction of housing specifically in rural areas. It has been concluded that there is a need to move away from piecemeal support for individual categories of war veterans towards a comprehensive economic and legal policy for their reintegration into rural communities. Such a policy should combine access to land resources, support for the establishment and development of agricultural enterprises, financial incentives, vocational rehabilitation and special support mechanisms for obtaining or building housing. Implementing the proposed approach will not only help to ensure that the rights of war veterans are upheld more effectively, but will also contribute to the revitalisation of human capital, employment and entrepreneurial activity in rural areas, which is a key prerequisite for their sustainable development.