INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATON IN BLATIC STATES: EXPERIENCE FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

The article summarizes the experience of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which after 1991 used European integration as a catalyst for the modernization of the public administration system and the transition from post- Soviet models to EU standards. It is shown how the implementation of the “Copenhagen package»” and the use of EU instruments (PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD, Twinning, TAIEX) contributed to the harmonization of legislation, synchronization of public service reforms, decentralization, digitalization of administrative services, increased transparency of public procurement and the development of systems for monitoring the effectiveness of policies. The focus of the analysis is on the implementation of the principles of good governance (transparency, accountability, efficiency, citizen orientation) through institutional, organizational and technological innovations. Estonia demonstrates the effect of e-government based on X-Road, e-residency, digital identification and remote voting; Lithuania – the development of e-procurement, open data, digital tax administration and service centers; Latvia – a model of “single window”, the Latvija.lv portal, electronic document management and the introduction of a service-oriented logic of interaction with citizens. Together, this has reduced corruption risks, reduced state spending, increased citizens’ trust and the quality of public services. The relevance of the experience of the Baltic countries for Ukraine is justified by the common post-Soviet heritage, the similarity of the initial institutional challenges, and the strategic goal of EU membership. At the same time, factors that complicate direct copying are outlined: a larger scale of the state, a more complex administrative and territorial structure, the consequences of the military conflict, different political, cultural and socio-economic conditions. The methodological framework is policy transfer and the concept of Europeanization, which explain the adaptation of institutions, procedures and management cultures to EU norms. It is concluded that a context-sensitive and phased transfer of Baltic innovations can accelerate the postwar transformation of public administration in Ukraine, provided that EU instruments are combined with domestic institutional changes, human capital development, and active participation of civil society.