Implementation of European standards on safeguarding the right to housing for internally displaced persons

Abstract

The relevance of this study lies in the fact that ensuring the right to housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is one of the priority areas of Ukraineʼs public policy in the context of the ongoing armed aggression of the russian against Ukraine and an essential component of fulfilling the countryʼs international obligations. Despite the gradual impro­vement of national legislation and the development of compensation mechanisms for destroyed housing, the issue of protecting the housing rights of IDPs remains highly relevant. The need for the further implementation of European standards and the improvement of the legal framework governing the protection of IDPsʼ housing rights determines the particular significance of this study in the context of Ukraineʼs European integration. The aim of the study is to analyze the European standards for ensuring the right to housing of IDPs and to identify the specific features of their implementation in the legislation of Ukraine. This study employs both general scientific and special legal research methods, including the dialectical, formal-legal, systemic-structural, comparative-legal and logical-legal methods, as well as the methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization and systematization. It is concluded that the right of IDPs to housing is one of the fundamental social rights, the effective realization of which requires comprehensive legal protection. The study establishes that contemporary European standards regard the provision of housing not merely as the allocation of temporary shelter, but as a system of legal, organizational and social guarantees encompassing adequate housing conditions, non-discrimination, the implementation of durable solutions to internal displacement, the restoration of property rights and the functioning of effective administrative procedures. The study substantiates that the effective protection of the housing rights of IDPs is achieved through a combination of housing restitution and compensation mechanisms, the development of state housing programs, a clear delineation of the powers of public authorities and the implementation of a long-term housing policy. It concludes that the further development of legal regulation in this area should focus on expanding housing programs, improving compensation mechanisms and further harmonizing national legislation with European standards.