Limits of constitutional control within the proceedings upon constitutional submissions and constitutional complaints: theoretical aspects

Neither the Constitution of Ukraine, nor the Law of Ukraine «On the Constitutional Court of Ukraine» contains any provisions that would empower the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to step outside a subject matter of a constitutional petition or a constitutional complaint and to assess in the aspect of conformity to the Constitution of Ukraine (constitutionality) of other legal acts (specific provisions thereof), except those, concerning which the proceedings are instituted within the case and that have effect on delivering a decision within the case. In other words, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is deprived of an opportunity, at its own discretion, to initiate constitutional control of other legal acts (specific provisions thereof) during the proceedings within the case upon a constitutional petition or a constitutional complaint.Therefore, absence of such legislative instrument de facto will block any attempts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to overstep a subject matter of constitutional control within the proceedings upon constitutional petitions and constitutional complaints if the authority of constitutional jurisdiction of Ukraine detects any signs of unconstitutionality of other legal acts (specific provisions thereof), which are in the system link with a subject matter of constitutional control and have effect on delivering the objective and just decision within the case.Moreover, in case of display of court activism (initiative) the Constitutional Court of Ukraine will inevitably abuse its constitutionally determined powers and, as a result, will infringe the Fundamental Law of Ukraine, in particular, its second section of article 19, according to which bodies of public power and their officials are obliged to act only on the grounds, within the limits of authority, and in the manner envisaged by the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine. However, the legislator is still able to prevent appearance of the above situation by necessary amendments to the Law of Ukraine «On the Constitutional Court of Ukraine»