The Impact of War and European Accession on the Labour Law Reform in Ukraine

Simutina Yana ()
Additional contact information
Simutina Yana: Doctor of Jur. Sciences (Dr.hab), Professor, Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol (under the Researchers at Risk Fellowships Programme of the British Academy and CARA), Senior Research Fellow of Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

European Studies - The Review of European Law, Economics and Politics, 2024, vol. 11, issue 2, 265-289

Abstract: Labour law reform in Ukraine has long been a complex and politicised issue. It is overdue, not only because of the dramatic economic and social changes within the country since independence but also because of external influences related to global changes in the world of work. This paper examines the challenges and imperatives of labour law reform in Ukraine under the dual pressures of war and European Union (EU) accession. Ukraine’s status as an EU candidate provides an incentive for reform, even as the ongoing Russian invasion alters socio-economic priorities and labour market dynamics. Labour law reform is essential for supporting post-war recovery and should aim to achieve a balance between economic efficiency and worker protection. Policymakers need to reconcile competing priorities between business flexibility and workers’ rights, while social dialogue remains crucial for ensuring fair labour laws. While some contend that wartime is not the right moment for comprehensive reforms, this paper advocates for their urgency. Post-war recovery and integration into the EU require proactive reforms in employment and labour relations. Such reforms should embody the values of the European social model, emphasising social justice as a driver of economic efficiency.

Keywords: labour law reform; deregulation; EU accession; employment policy; EU acquis; European social model; labour rights (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.2478/eustu-2024-0025 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:eurstu:v:11:y:2024:i:2:p:265-289:n:1012

DOI: 10.2478/eustu-2024-0025

Access Statistics for this article

European Studies - The Review of European Law, Economics and Politics is currently edited by Nadežda Šišková

More articles in European Studies - The Review of European Law, Economics and Politics from Sciendo
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Peter Golla ().