Venher Volodymyr. Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union: Legislative Dimension

The ongoing war has profoundly challenged the ability of law to regulate social and political life effectively. In this context, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s legislative role is central to preserving the systemic coherence of the national legal order. The Ukrainian Constitution provides for the introduction of martial law, a special legal regime enabling the use of exceptional legal and administrative instruments. While these mechanisms expand the discretionary powers of public authorities to respond swiftly to wartime exigencies, they must also safeguard fundamental human rights. This chapter examines the Verkhovna Rada’s legislative activity under martial law, focusing on how it upholds the core elements of the rule of law, such as legality, legal certainty, non-discrimination, the prohibition of abuse of power, and access to justice. The chapter presents a case-based analysis of specific sectors where wartime legislative interventions reveal tensions between emergency governance and constitutional guarantees. The chapter argues that when adopting new laws or amending existing ones, Parliament must carefully balance the imperatives of national security, the military’s operational needs, and the individual’s fundamental rights. From the perspective of EU accession, this requires prioritizing high-quality, predictable legislative regulation at the statutory level and institutionalizing safeguards that enable judicial protection of rights during martial law. Thus, the study underscores the importance of aligning wartime lawmaking with European standards of constitutionalism and the rule of law.