Articles

Territorial public self-government is one of the most effective ways to involve citizens in the exercise of municipal power. It is a kind of foundation of local self-government, ensuring effective interaction of the population and local self-government bodies. For its correct understanding, the author offers a historical and legal analysis of the development of this institution. This paper examines the main stages of the development of territorial public self- government in modern Russia. The reference point is proposed in 1991, and the basis of the comparative analysis is the basic law on local self-government of each historical stage and the emerging law enforcement practice. The author notes the conceptually different approach of the legislator to territorial public self-government, including the legal status of its subjects, the powers of state authorities and local self-government bodies to legally regulate the organization and implementation of territorial public self-government at various historical stages. Based on the results of the analysis, the most urgent issues of further development of CBT are identified, the author concludes that it is expedient to legislatively consolidate the powers of state authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation to establish additional measures of state support for territorial public self-government. Taking into account the geographical and spatial features of a number of regions, the expediency of returning powers to the subjects of the Federation on their own legal regulation of certain issues of the organization of territorial public self-government is justified.

The article examines the features of municipal strategic planning. On the example of the municipal formation (urban district) — resort city of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory, the issues of developing a strategy for the socio-economic development of the Sochi agglomeration, as well as prospects for interaction of municipalities with the federal territories are investigated. On the one hand, the strategy of socio-economic development, as a system of long-term priorities is a necessary condition for planning and development of the territory. The municipal strategy includes a package of projects (national, federal, regional), budget programs, business plans but often does not consider public opinion. On the other hand, the absence of a strategic document does not affect the development of the territory, since large investors (private and public stakeholders) implement business projects without informing the municipality. There is no legal provision for stakeholders to inform about the implementation of their plans. As a result, approved municipal strategies often suffer because of lack of large-scale investment projects or after significant changes in projects. Taking the example of Sochi, the “eternal” factor of competitiveness of the resort “sea, sun, climate” will work spontaneously and haphazardly, despite the significant multiplier effect of the tourism industry on the economy of the territory. To develop an effective tool for the development of the territory, which should be simultaneously a social contract, at the initial stage of developing a resort strategy, the main task will be to assess the competitiveness of the resort city in the domestic and foreign markets, develop a system of indicators of the competitiveness of the resort and regional tourism product.

The article deals with the criminalization of public apology (justification, glorification) for terrorism in French and Spanish legislation. The application of these provisions is analyzed in the light of the constitutional right to freedom of expression and the case law of the constitutional control bodies of these countries. The aim of such criminal prohibitions is to prevent the creation of an environment that nurtures terrorist ideology, and thereby creates risk (often very abstract) of committing terrorist crimes. On the one hand, this approach corresponds to States’ positive obligations to protect citizens from terrorist threats, but on the other, questions of the exceptional nature of criminal law (ultima ratio) and the disproportionality of restrictions on human rights are raised. As an early warning measure, the provision that establishes liability for public apology often does not require any consequences to take place (such as the commission of terrorist crimes or at least the creation of a real danger thereof). The same applies to intent to commit terrorist offences. These particularities, along with the excessive and indiscriminate application of those prohibitions in European States, make interpretation by constitutional authorities necessary. They are asked when and under what conditions the exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of expression becomes a crime.

The qualification of relations as labor relations is a reflection of the legal nature of the interaction of a certain kind in the performance of personal labor and is an important tool for protecting the rights and guarantees of employees. People employed in the gig economy often need such protection, given the similarity of their situation to that of traditional workers. In this regard, individuals who perform personal work within the framework of digital platforms make attempts to qualify (re-qualify) the relations that arise with them into labor relations. To some extent, the attempt to “fit” the relations under consideration into the framework of existing legal structures is a kind of compensation for the lack of an adequate legislative response to the ongoing socio-economic changes. The article distinguishes between the organization of labor management based on the civil nature of interaction on the performance of personal labor, which ensures the implementation of the interests of the subjects of such performance, and an illegal attempt to reduce labor costs and maximize profits by depriving employees of their rights and guarantees. The article considers various state measures aimed at eliminating fictitious self- employment, which reflects the negative aspect of new forms of labor management organization. The conclusion is formulated that in most legal systems, one of the main criteria for distinguishing between labor and civil law relations is the degree of control that the platform exercises over the gig employee, and the level of independence of the person performing personal work corresponding to this control. These features are closely intertwined with the study of the “entrepreneurial” nature of the activity of the performer of personal labor, including through the prism of the formation of economic dependence on the employer.

After 6 years from the start of the activity of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union the practical necessity of making some changes and amendments to the Statute and Regulation of the Court seems to be obvious. It’s suggested that all changes and amendments could be divided into two big groups depending on how such amendments will be viewed by the member-states of the Eurasian Economic Union. A first group comprises measures aiming to expand subject matter and personal jurisdiction of the Court whose powers had been significantly and intentionally weakened by the members-states of the EAU from its very establishment. A probability of such amendments looks quite low as it depends on the readiness of the members states to re-evaluate the risks and concerns perceived by them which led to the limited jurisdiction of the Court. A second group consists of procedural and organization changes aiming to remedy omissions and weak places in the day-to day activity of the Court detected during first years such as lack of any time limits or improvement of appellate review. Such measures are not connected with expansion of the jurisdiction of the Court, so their probability seems more optimistic.

The publication, in the context of current international law and legal doctrine, provides a theoretical and legal analysis of the statements of the Vilnius Court on the status of Lithuania as an “occupied State” in 1940–1990, whether “the Republic of Lithuania and the Soviet Union were different States from the standpoint of international law” during the pointed period. In this regard, on the basis of the Soviet-Lithuanian bilateral agreements, reliable archival sources and foreign materials of international affairs departments, the problem of compliance or violation of the international legal norms in force at that time with the procedure for Lithuania’s entry into the USSR is considered. The article reveals the concept, content and consolidation of the term “occupation (military occupation)” in international law, as well as the features of the occupation regime in relation to the topic of the publication. The views of well-known representatives of the Western European and Baltic legal doctrines of the concept of the “Soviet occupation of the Baltic States” are considered. A theoretical analysis of the concept of “annexation” in international relations is given, the absence of its normative consolidation in international law is noted, a number of examples of annexation in European interstate practice on the eve and during the Second World War are given. Based on the analysis of the legal nature of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, the recognition by almost the entire international community and the prevailing views in the international legal doctrine, the legality of Lithuania’s being a part of the USSR in the period 1940–1941 as a union republic is justified.

Foreign legal and political science notes the positive effect from the interpenetration of the institutions of direct and representative democracy, especially by way of modern digital technologies. The key forms of such interpenetration have been and remain the popular (civil) legislative initiative and public hearings (public discussion of bills). The experience of crowdsourcing in carrying out legislative work, the involvement of citizens in the work of parliamentarians show a multiple increase in the level of citizens’ trust in the institutions of parliamentary democracy, which is confirmed by foreign studies. According to the Levada Center in Russia since 2015 the level of disapproval about activities of the Russian State Duma has exceeded the level of approval and since this time the level of disapproval continue to grow up. For this reason, it is highly important for Russia to research the experience of those countries, that have managed to change the predominantly negative attitude of citizens towards parliamentary institutions to predominantly positive. For Russia, where, according to the Levada Center, the level of disapproval of the State Duma has exceeded the level of approval since 2015, the study of the experience of countries that have managed to change the predominantly negative

attitude of citizens towards parliamentary institutions to predominantly positive is of high importance. The author comes to the conclusion that in Russia it is necessary to revive the popular legislative initiative at the federal level, including through the introduction of the institution of the legislative proposal. Secondly, the author proposes to legislatively regulate the possibility of submitting legislative proposals to the State Duma, including by expanding the functionality of the Russian Public Initiative Internet portal (roi.ru). Thirdly, the author considers it expedient to create in Russia an electronic platform for interaction between the parliament and civil society “Electronic Parliament of Russia”, which allows, through electronic democracy, to increase public confidence in the activities of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

In the context of the information society and the formation of the digital economy, it is relevant to study the legal support for the turnover of personal data at the corporate level in order to develop proposals for improving the mechanism for processing and protecting personal data. The article analyzes the general issues that are previously studied by the administration before starting the processing of personal data, on which the decision on the readiness to work with personal data and the intensity of the use of internal corporate forces and means depends. The content of the concept of ensuring the security of personal data is disclosed. The analysis of the regulatory framework and a systematic approach to the study of the rules governing the collection, processing, storage and use of personal data in organizations allowed the author to formulate the conceptual provisions of the methodology, the content of which is complex measures of an organizational, legal and technical nature used to ensure the security of personal data in organizations. The methodology structurally reveals the content of the main corporate acts and provides recommendations for their improvement when working with personal data in the context of digitalization.

The author shows the natural loss, damage and destruction of things, and also describes period of transportability of goods. In the article, the author defines the possibilities of contractual regulation of division the risks of natural loss, damage and destruction of things between the parties. The author comes to the conclusion that the natural loss, damage and destruction of a thing are processes caused by the natural features of a thing or caused by an external influence on a thing, as a result of which the existence of a thing as an object of law disappears or its economic purpose changes. Based on the classification of legal facts, natural loss is an event that reduces the number of things, while maintaining their quality. The author defines property damage as a deterioration in the quality of things. Based on the theory of legal facts, damage can be the result of both natural factors or the result of illegal human actions. Its legal consequences depend on the causes of damage. The author considers the destruction of a thing as a complete loss of its useful properties. The expiration date in the article is defined as a scientifically and technologically determined period, after which the thing becomes unusable and may constitute a danger to life and health. It is concluded that based on the functional purpose of the expiration date, it is not subject to extension in respect of goods already put into circulation, and it is not allowed to reduce this period under the agreement.