Is public control possible outside the territorial borders of the state: towards the formulation of the problem

This article is devoted to the analysis of the issues of the possibility and necessity of organizing and implementing public control outside the territorial borders of the state. The authors note that the public control is the most important legal guarantee for the implementation and protection of both the system of constitutional principles and the entire system of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as numerous non-governmental non-profit organizations. In this regard, the issues of determining the spatial boundaries of the functioning of this institution of civil society are of particular interest. In the context of international law, the territory of the planet is conventionally represented by the state territory of the countries of the world, territories with a mixed regime, as well as territories with an international regime (the Antarctic continent occupies a special place in this group of territories). The authors analyze the possibilities and limits of the functioning of public control within each group of these territories. The article uses a number of methods of scientific cognition, including: formal-logical; comparative-legal; historical-legal; statistical; sociological; method of analyzing specific legal situations. The paper analyzes modern problems that impede the optimal functioning of the institute of public control outside the territorial borders of the state (on the example of Russia), the most important of which are: the lack of consolidation in the legislation on public control of the concept and content of the territorial limits of the functioning of this institution of civil society; the absence in international legislation of direct consolidation of the institute of control of civil society of the peoples of the United Nations international governmental and non–governmental organizations; weak development of the institute of international associations and unions of subjects of public control (subjects of civil society); ignoring by a number of countries (including the United States) the need to sign and (or) ratify the most important UN conventions affecting territories with a mixed and international regime (for example, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea dated 11/16/1994); weak development in the scientific doctrine of international law of forms, methods, principles, grounds and limits of the functioning of public control (control of civil society) outside the territorial borders of the state. The authors have developed and justified a system of measures to resolve these problems.