DIGITALIZATION OF PUBLIC AUTHORITY IN THE CONDITIONS OF UKRAINE’S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: LEGAL ASPECTS

Abstract

The article theoretically elaborates the concept of digitalization of public authorities as a systemic transformation of public administration in the context of Ukraine’s European integration, which goes beyond technical modernization and involves a deep adaptation of the legal, institutional and technological foundations of interaction between the state and citizens. The authors of the article analyze the essence of digitalization through four interrelated dimensions: regulatory, institutional, technological and security. Particular attention is paid to the domestic context, where, despite European integration obligations, the implementation of digitalization is accompanied by serious challenges: collisions between European standards and national data collection practices, legal vacuums in algorithmic decision-making, insufficient cyber resilience of critical infrastructure in war conditions, as well as the risks of digital discrimination due to the bias of artificial intelligence. Based on the analysis of European digital law and the constitutional and legal foundations of Ukraine, the authors of the article propose a comprehensive model of legal support for digitalization, built on five key principles: the rule of law as the basis of the legitimacy of digital procedures, data minimization in conflict with the efficiency of services, digital inclusion through universal design, cyber resilience as an element of national security, and transparency of algorithms through the guaranteed “right to explanation”. The proposed multi-level implementation architecture covers the regulatory level, the institutional level, and the operational level. To implement the proposed model, the authors of the article argue for a toolkit that includes the introduction of a mandatory assessment of the impact on human rights when deploying high-risk AI systems, a clear demarcation of civil and administrative liability between the state and private developers of algorithms, as well as the institutional strengthening of ombudsman mechanisms through the creation of specialized expert units for technical auditing of digital systems. The implementation of this model is considered a strategic condition not only for European integration, but also for preserving Ukraine’s statehood under martial law, where the digital transformation of public authorities becomes a tool for the continuity of the functioning of state institutions.