On June 12, 2026, the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference "Decentralization of Public Power in Ukraine: Achievements, Problems and Prospects" took place.

The co-organizers of the scientific event are the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, the Faculty of Law of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, and the Higher School of Law and Administration in Rzeszów (WSPIA).

The purpose of the conference was to discuss the achievements of the decentralization reform in Ukraine at the current stage, problematic issues of the organization and functioning of local self-government in the context of martial law and post-war reconstruction of the state, as well as the prospects for municipal reform in accordance with European principles and standards.

The work of the event was carried out in the following areas: scientific, methodological and organizational and legal foundations of the decentralization reform in Ukraine in the context of foreign experience and European integration processes; organizational and legal support for the functioning of territorial communities, local self-government bodies and military administrations in the context of martial law; the activities of public authorities to guarantee the rights and freedoms of man and citizen in connection with Russian armed aggression; the role of institutions of direct democracy in carrying out municipal reform; problems of ensuring sustainable economic development of communities under martial law in the context of the reform of decentralization of power in Ukraine.

The Deputy Director of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine Nataliya Onishchenko; Professor for Scientific and Pedagogical Work and International Cooperation of Lviv University Hrystina Miliyanchuk; Professor of the Higher School of Law and Administration in Rzeszów Przemysław Niemchuk.

In their speeches, they emphasized the relevance of the issues of decentralization of public power under martial law and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, the importance of scientific understanding of modern challenges in the field of local self-government, as well as the significance of international academic cooperation for the development of legal science.

The conference was attended by domestic and foreign scientists, including the director of the V. K. Mamutov Institute of Economic and Legal Research of the NAS of Ukraine, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine, professor Volodymyr Ustimenko; academician of the NAS of Ukraine, honored lawyer of Ukraine, professor Vasyl Kostytsky; head of the Department of Agrarian, Land, Environmental and Space Law Problems of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine, honored worker of science and technology of Ukraine, professor Pavlo Kulynych; chief researcher of the same department, academician of the NAS of Ukraine, honored lawyer of Ukraine, professor Nataliya Malysheva; Scientific Secretary of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, Professor Anzhelika Krusyan; Head of the Department of Theory of Law, Constitutional Law and European Studies of the Higher School of Law and Administration in Rzeszów, Professor Krzysztof Eckhardt; Vice-Rector of the Higher School of Law and Administration in Rzeszów, Professor Przemysław Niemchuk; Professor of the Department of Political Science and Legal Sciences of the K. D. Ushynsky South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University Mykhailo Baimuratov; Leading Researcher of the Department of Public Administration and Administrative Law of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, Professor Dmytro Bezzubov; Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the V. K. Mamutov Institute of Economic and Legal Studies of the NAS of Ukraine, Professor Ruslan Dzhabrailov; Professor of the Department of Administrative and Financial Law of the Faculty of Law of Lviv University Mykola Kobyletsky; Leading Researcher of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine Iryna Kuyan; Head of the Department of State Building of the Yaroslav Mudry National Law University Oleksiy Lyaluk; Leading Researcher of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, Professor Oleg Martselyak; Professor of the Department of Constitutional, Administrative and Labor Law of the National University «Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic» Ruslan Maksakov; Professor of the Department of Constitutional Law of Lviv University Serhiy Rabinovych; representative of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine Galyna Shaulska and President of the American-Ukrainian Law Society (Chicago, USA) Andriy Andreykiv.

The conference was moderated by Professor Olexander Batanov and Associate Professor Ruslan Bedriy.

During the conference, the participants discussed topical issues of local self-government development, the functioning of public authorities under martial law, guaranteeing human rights and freedoms, as well as prospects for further improvement of municipal legislation of Ukraine in the context of European integration.

The abstracts of the reports of the participants of the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference "Decentralization of Public Authority in Ukraine: Achievements, Problems and Prospects" will be published in the electronic collection of conference materials.