PECULIARITIES OF THE LEGAL REGULATION OF ACCEPTING GIFTS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE IN UKRAINE AND LITHUANIA

Santrauka

As a candidate for European Union (EU) membership, Ukraine is required to implement reforms in public administration, the civil service and prevention of corruption. The European Commission has acknowledged Ukraine’s progress in preventing corruption, but there is still room for improvement. Accepting gifts is one of the critical areas that can encourage corruption in the civil service. Examining the experience of EU Member States can provide valuable information to Ukrainian legislators to help them eliminate gaps in current Ukrainian laws and other legal acts. This article analyses and compares the specifics of the legal regulation of accepting gifts in the civil service in Ukraine and Lithuania. The authors compare the legal acts and case law of Ukraine and Lithuania, addressing the problem of accepting illegal gifts and establishing sanctions for such actions. The authors also analyse the challenges that both countries face in implementing their anti-corruption policies. Based on other countries’ experiences, the authors propose strategies that Ukrainian legislators could adopt to develop a more effective anti-corruption policy. The objectives of the article are to: (i) define the concepts of gifts and bribery; (ii) identify the lists of permitted and prohibited gifts in the civil service in Ukraine and Lithuania; and (iii) compare the liabilities arising from illegal gift acceptance in each country.
Keywords: Civil Service, Gift, Corruption Prevention, Bribery, Liability.