The article presents a study of the resilience of parliamentary oversight during the COVID-19 pandemic in 31 democratic countries and provides comparative analytical information with the situation in Ukraine. Existing studies show that parliaments are better able to fulfill their oversight functions in countries where the quality of democracy is higher and where constitutional and procedural rules provide more opportunities for parliamentary oversight. Scholars also argue that unitary administrations often try to circumvent legislative oversight, and vice versa, the checks and balances inherent in shared governance act as a deterrent to attempts to marginalize parliament. In normal times, parliaments struggle to maintain their autonomy and fulfill their oversight responsibilities, but these challenges are exacerbated during health crises. Finally, the sustainability of parliamentary oversight also depends on the extent to which opposition parties employ a strategy of «flag rallies» or politicization, with the latter seeming more likely as the epidemic progresses. Scholarly research on the extent of legislative oversight during the COVID-19 pandemic remains quite limited, with very few comparative studies that rely on comprehensive data and go beyond descriptive narratives to provide a wealth of detailed case studies. Previous studies on parliamentary oversight have shown that parliamentary oversight is related to the level of democracy in a country: the more democratic a country is, the more oversight tools it has at its disposal and the greater the potential for oversight. In July 2021, the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the European Union agreed to add Ukraine to the list of third countries from which all travel should be allowed, regardless of vaccination status. However, on November 9, 2021, the EU Council decided to remove Ukraine from this «green travel list» due to the fourth wave of COVID-19 cases in the country.
Author Biographies
Sergii Babych, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne
Candidate of Engineering (Ph.D.), Master
Lesya Tykhonchuk, National University of Water and Environmental Engineering, Rivne
Doctor of Science in Public Administration, Associate Professor
