Legal values as the basis of the legal culture of society

The purpose of the study was to analyse how legal values affect the establishment and development of legal culture and their application in Ukrainian legislation during the European integration process was the aim of the study. The research methodology was based on a comparative study of the legal systems of Ukraine and the EU, as well as a retrospective examination of the phases of Ukrainian legislation’s historical adaptation to the European one, particularly through the adoption of institutional and legal reforms. In the context of aligning Ukrainian law with EU legal norms, the study examined the function and importance of legal values as the cornerstone of society’s legal culture. The main results of the study showed that despite the long process of integration, there is still a certain discrepancy between Ukrainian and European legal values, in particular, on the issues of guaranteeing freedoms and human rights, independence of the judiciary, ensuring the rule of law, etc. In particular, it was noted that although Ukraine has already implemented many European standards at the level of national legislation, primarily in the field of ensuring human rights, there are some problems with the implementation of these norms in practice, which is conditioned by both socio-political and economic problems, primarily the introduction of martial law due to Russian aggression. The results of the study indicated the need to further strengthen democracy, in particular, the independence of the judicial system, increase the degree of transparency in political decision-making, improve anti-corruption policies, improve social protection under martial law, and raise citizens’ legal awareness. The paper also provided specific recommendations for improving national legislation to achieve better compliance with EU legal values