Generalization of Approaches to The Essence of Territorial Community in Ukraine

The urgency of research subject is stipulated by the decentralization and European integration processes, which have detached the territorial community as major entity. Forming of self-sufficient territorial communities with full-scale development has become the priority task. The article aims to generalize approaches to the essence of territorial community in Ukraine. Systematization of approaches to definition of the notion “territorial community” has been conducted. Territorial community is detached as the primary local self-governance entity. Residents' interest (needs) has been characterized as the driving force and the most important component of territorial community's living activity. Peculiarities of territorial community as cross-border cooperation entity have been outlined in order to form good neighborhood relations and to strengthen cooperation between territorial communities in cross-border space, promoting solution of local development tasks. The fact that the processes of territorial communities' reapprochement in crossborder space require the search for new approaches to the use of economic, human and natural resources potential in order to maintain achievement of qualitatively new level of economy efficiency and competitive ability of bordering territorial communities, and improvement of its members living standards, has been emphasized. The following major forms of territorial communities' cross-border cooperation have been detached: Euroregion; cross-border cooperation agreement in certain spheres; mutually beneficial contacts between territorial communities. It has been suggested to activate cross-border cooperation through development and implementation of joint initiatives, activities, programs and strategies in certain spheres, including coordination of cooperation and accumulation of resources for the defined period in order to conduct jointly relevant activities; forming of cross-border groupings as voluntary groupings of entities and/or participants of cross-border cooperation of Ukraine and neighbouring countries, stipulated by agreement on cross-border cooperation. Scientific novelty of research lies in the systematization of scientific approaches to the essence of territorial community in Ukraine, in particular in cross-border space. It allows defining of local development priorities specifics and improving of territorial communities' competitive ability using the cross-border cooperation capacity. Practical importance lies in the defining of territorial community essence in order to determine their role and place in the process of authorities and local governance decentralization reform in terms of European integration with the aim of their selfsufficiency and further development in cross-border space.