Theoretical and legal principles of cross-border cooperation: conceptual and categorical apparatus and features of legal regulation

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the conceptual and categorical apparatus of cross-border cooperation as a legal institution that has acquired special significance in the context of Ukraine’s European integration course. The author explores the theoretical approaches of domestic and foreign scholars to understanding the essence of cross-border cooperation, its place among other types of international interaction and features of legal regulation. Based on the analysis, it was determined that cross-border cooperation is a special type of international interaction of individuals and/or legal entities of different nationalities operating in territories bordering the state border, carried out on a contractual basis in order to solve common problems of border regions and improve the living standards of their population. The article identifies six key features of cross-border cooperation: the contractual nature of relations; implementation of interaction between entities operating in territories bordering the state border; focus on the movement of people, goods, services and capital across the state border; specific subject composition (individuals and/or legal entities of different national affiliations); medium- and long-term nature of the established ties; orientation towards solving common problems and achieving a socially beneficial effect of improving the lives of the population of border regions. The author states that the legal regulation of cross-border cooperation in Ukraine has undergone a significant evolutionary path, and after amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine on February 7, 2019 and the consolidation of the European vector of foreign policy, this institution has acquired the status of a basic constitutional category. In the context of globalization and regional integration, further improvement of the regulatory framework in the field of cross-border cooperation should be aimed at creating effective mechanisms for implementing cross-border projects, expanding the powers of regional and local authorities, and harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with European standards.