Lazareva, Marina
The Ukrainian Constitution in the Era of Drastic Political Changes
Ukrainian constitutional law; constitutional reform; separation of powers; Constitutional Court; political transition; minority rights
The article traces Ukraine’s constitutional development from independence to the political crisis of 2014. It examines repeated changes in the balance between presidential and parliamentary power, the role of the Constitutional Court, and tensions concerning legality, human rights, and minority protection.
LAZAREVA, MARINA
The European Union and Russia: History of the Relationship and Cooperation Prospects
EU–Russia relations; strategic partnership; Partnership and Cooperation Agreement; energy policy; Eastern Partnership; Eurasian integration
The article traces the development of EU–Russia relations from the late Soviet period to strategic partnership. It examines the principal legal frameworks and contested areas of cooperation, including trade, energy, visas, human rights, and competing regional integration projects.
LAZAREVA, MARINA
CIS Interparliamentary Assembly: role in post-Soviet integration
Commonwealth of Independent States, Interparliamentary Assembly, model legislation, integration, former Soviet countries
The Interparliamentary Assembly (IPA) was established at almost the same time as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). According to the official position, to date the IPA CIS has adopted about 650 model laws and other documents and has become the main cooperation platform for parliamentarians in a new political and economic environment. More than 70% of all IPA acts are implemented into the legislation of the CIS countries, and about 10% contain provisions that overlap with those in national laws.
However, there are also problems. Throughout the history of the Assembly, its chairmen have always been representatives of Russia. Considering the specifics of the political development of the post-Soviet area, one can note the relative weakness of parliaments, which tend to act only in conjunction with the Presidents. And the CIS itself has for a long time been more of a reserve platform for Russia than an influential integration organization.
LAZAREVA, MARINA
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