PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OF UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AS AN INSTRUMENT OF ECONOMIC INTEGRATION INTO THE EU INTERNAL MARKET

Abstract

The article examines public procurement of Ukraine in the context of European integration as an instrument of economic integration into the EU internal market. The study proceeds from the premise that public procurement should be interpreted not only as a mechanism for meeting public sector needs, but also as a structured channel of state demand that shapes market access conditions, competitive behaviour, institutional compatibility, and the ability of national firms to operate under the rules of the European economic space. Particular attention is paid to the economic dimension of procurement reform, namely its impact on competition, transparency, transaction costs, supplier access, and the gradual approximation of Ukraine’s procurement environment to the principles governing the EU internal market. The paper systematizes current scientific approaches to institutional convergence, public value creation, financial efficiency, and competitive effects of procurement policy, and identifies the key analytical gap related to the insufficient conceptualisation of procurement as a tool of economic rather than solely legal integration. The article argues that the transformation of the Ukrainian procurement system is closely connected with the development of Prozorro, the expansion of competitive procedures, and the gradual incorporation of EU standards into procurement governance. It is substantiated that the economic potential of public procurement in the process of European integration is revealed through lower entry barriers to state demand, broader market access for firms, stronger competition, higher transparency of public spending, and greater trust in public institutions. The study concludes that further advancement of public procurement in Ukraine should be associated with deeper digitalisation, improvement of procurement analytics, professionalisation of contracting authorities, and integration of procurement policy into the broader objectives of market compatibility, post-war recovery, and long-term economic integration into the EU internal market.