The integrationnal potential of inter-parliamentary cooperation of the regions of the Russian Federation in the 1990s.

Shirko Tatiana Ivanovna PhD in History Associate Professor of Tomsk State University 634050, Russia, Tomsk region, Tomsk, Lenin Ave., 36 strelk-s@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

Federal States are characterized by the presence of various organizational forms of intersubjective cooperation. In the 1990s, in Russia, against the background of the development of general disintegration processes that arose in response to the inability of the federal center to offer a holistic set of interrelated reforms in all spheres of public life and to carry out legal regulation and control, interparliamentary associations of the subjects of the Federation were created ^{[1, p. 45]}. The relevance of establishing mutually beneficial cooperation between regional parliaments was associated with the development of integration potential ^{[2, p. 131]}, ensuring coordination and interaction of regions in the legislative sphere, achieving common goals in ensuring the unity of the legal and socio-economic space of the Federation's subjects, as well as solving individual problems of the association's participants by pooling resources and extracting benefits from joint activities. The peculiarities of the organization of inter-parliamentary associations during this period were that they were formed on the initiative of the parliaments themselves and according to the territorial–geographical principle - in one macroregion, implemented advisory, coordination and advisory functions, carried out their activities within the joint jurisdiction of the center and the regions and their own jurisdiction of the subjects of the Federation and their decisions were advisory in nature ^{[3, p. 16]}.

In the 1990s, there were four interparliamentary associations of the subjects of the Russian Federation in Russia - two associations formed in 1994-1995 – the North–Western Parliamentary Association (NWPA), the parliamentary Association "Far East and Transbaikalia", and two councils established in 1997 – the Interparliamentary Council of the Republic of Adygea, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and the Council for Coordinating the Activities of the Legislative Bodies of state Power of the Subjects of the Russian Federation of the Ural region (Ural Parliamentary Center (UOC)) ^{[4, p. 128]}. The associations implementing coordination and advisory functions aimed at solving common legal problems in the field of subjects of joint and own jurisdiction of the subjects of the Federation, the implementation of joint legislative initiatives, generalization of legislative practice, development of model laws. The councils, which are advisory entities, formulated for themselves the task of creating general legal conditions for the implementation of programs for the integrated socio-economic development of the regions. Therefore, it is important to generalize and analyze the experience of various types of interparliamentary associations in Russia in the 1990s to implement mutually beneficial cooperation in the legislative sphere, as well as the formation of their integration strategies based on the common and individual interests of the participants.

Organization of the activities of inter-parliamentary cooperation associations

The activities of the Far Eastern and Northwestern Associations were carried out on the basis of annual planning. Clarification of the upcoming agenda was carried out at the previous conference or meeting and adjusted between meetings. The work programme of the Councils was not of a long-term nature and was regulated on the basis of decisions taken at previous sessions.

For preliminary consideration of the preparation of decisions, the NWPA formed standing committees, whose decisions were submitted to the conference, the highest body of the association. Each committee had its own coordinator, which was the legislative authority of one of the participants. For example, the standing committee on legal issues was supervised by the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, and the Committee on Social Policy was supervised by the Novgorod Regional Duma (Parliamentary Association of the North-West of Russia. Standing Committees. https://www.vologdazso.ru/interaction/paszr/#tab-9). The members of the committees were deputies who were delegated by the parliaments of the constituent entities of the Federation. Standing committees in the NWPA were formed according to the urgency of the legal settlement of a set of specific social problems. In 1995, standing committees on legal issues, on local self–government, on social policy, on ecology, on economic policy were formed, in 1997 - on inter-parliamentary relations (later renamed the committee on parliamentarism and the development of international and inter-parliamentary relations), on budget and finance, on science and higher education (Parliamentary Association of the North-West of Russia. Standing Committees. URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/interaction/paszr/#tab-9). The Committees acted on the basis of the regulations and formed reports on their work.

In the Far Eastern Association, which had the legal status of a non-profit organization, the issues were considered by advisory councils. For example, in April 1996, the Coordinating Council on lawmaking and law enforcement was established. The activities of the association were coordinated by the secretariat of the Association (Parliamentary Association "Far East and Transbaikalia". The history of the association. URL: https://www.pa-dv.ru/about/history/). In turn, the UOC and the Interparliamentary Council used the apparatus of the legislative authorities participating in the councils to organize the decisions of the meetings.

Associations and councils made decisions in the form of recommendations, appeals and statements, the content of which was:

1. Recommendations to the members of the association on the adoption of draft laws or already existing laws of the subjects of the Federation as model ones, or a recommendation to develop a corresponding draft law to the committees of the association or individual subjects of the Federation whose legislative activity was recognized as the most successful. The use of laws or draft laws was carried out within the own jurisdiction of the subjects of the Federation and was of primary importance for inter-parliamentary associations. Such normative acts recommended as standard ones could be adapted to the specific conditions of the subject of the Federation and thereby ensure the formation of common unified mechanisms for the legal regulation of public problems ^{[5, p. 112]}.

2. Joint legislative initiatives of the members of the association, as well as support for legislative initiatives of the constituent entities of the Federation – participants of the interparliamentary association, formed on the subjects of joint competence of the center and the regions;

3. Joint appeals of the participants of the interparliamentary association, separate appeals of the legislative bodies of the constituent entities of the Federation – participants of the association, supported by the association to the President, the State Duma and the Federation Council, which concerned issues of exclusive competence of the Federation, as well as joint management of the center and regions.

4. Generalization of the practice of applying regional and federal laws issued on the subjects of jurisdiction of the Federation, the joint jurisdiction of the center and the regions and the subject of the Federation's own jurisdiction. The results of the law enforcement monitoring were presented in the form of analytical notes, which were considered at a meeting of the relevant committees and then, together with the proposals of the committees, were submitted for discussion at the next meeting. Generalization of law enforcement practice and its analysis made it possible to identify the advantages and disadvantages of regulations and send comments and suggestions to the Federal Assembly ^{[6, p. 129]}.

All decisions were made taking into account professional expert assessments. The meetings of associations and the work of committees and councils were attended by leading and recognized experts – scientists and practitioners, as well as heads of enterprises, heads of administrations of the subjects of the Federation and cities, municipalities, representatives of the President in the subject of the Federation, deputies of the State Duma, members of the Federation Council, employees of the staff of the Federation Council.

Thus, associations and councils formed decision-making mechanisms to ensure their activities that correspond to the objectives of cooperation. The functioning of the associations was ensured by the work of committees that had a specialized nature, and the councils were the offices of the legislative body that carried out the organizational registration of decisions taken at the meetings of the councils. The organization of the activities of interparliamentary cooperation associations was aimed at developing joint solutions, the form and content of which depended on the issue belonging to the appropriate level of competence – the exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, the joint jurisdiction of the center and regions, as well as the subject matter of the subjects of the Federation.

The main activities of inter-parliamentary associations

The most relevant topics for discussion at the meetings of the associations in the 1990s were issues related to the exclusive competence of the federal center - budget policy and inter–budgetary relations, the establishment of general principles of budget regulation and the definition of standards for tax deductions to the federal budget. Therefore, the consolidated position of the subjects of the Federation was particularly important in this issue, and regional legislators used all opportunities to articulate problems and bring them to the federal center. In the period from 1995 to 1999, both associations discussed draft federal annual budgets and expressed their comments and suggestions. The NWPA regularly addressed the Chambers of the Federal Assembly and the Government of Russia with proposals to make changes and additions to the annual federal budgets, taking into account the opinions and positions of the regions, advocating common, financially sound approaches and rules for deductions to the federal budget for all subjects of the Federation (1st NWPA Conference. "On budget and tax regulation of federal relations in the Russian Federation". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/30f/30fec648a163ce9a7bf738a7d6c081b0.pdf). The main issues of federal regulation that were in the focus of legislators' attention were related to the reduction of the revenue base of the budgets of the constituent entities of the Federation, the transfer of basic expenditures on social policy to regional budgets, and, consequently, an increase in their deficits, as well as a reduction in the total size of the fund for financial support of the regions. In 1999, in an appeal to the Government and the Federal Assembly, the association proposed to radically increase the share of deductions to the budgets of the constituent entities of the Federation of payments for value added tax, income tax, payments for the use of the forest fund, maintaining the share of expenditures on agriculture and fishing (17th NWPA Conference. Appeal to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the draft federal law "On the Federal Budget for 2000" URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/60d/60d96eb45ff17b2ea57d4ef11b733a33.pdf ).

In the Association of the Far East and Transbaikalia, as a result of the discussion of federal bills regulating the budget process, a package of amendments and additions to federal legislation was developed, establishing a preferential tax regime for the region. Every year, the association sent its proposals to the federal center to adjust the federal budget and some of them were taken into account, such as the association's proposal to include the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories in the list of subjects of the Russian Federation that need financial support from the federal budget. In addition, in December 1994, the Association adopted a statement addressed to the President, the Government and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, which called for taking into account the peculiarities of the geographical location of the Far East and Transbaikalia and adjusting the current tariffs for electric and thermal energy, as well as providing compensation from the federal budget for tariffs for transportation of population and transportation of goods (Parliamentary Association "The Far East and Transbaikalia". The history of the association. URL: https://www.pa-dv.ru/about/history/).

In parallel with the criticism of the federal budget, regional legislators sought to change the structure of the formation of budgets of the subject of the Federation. For example, in the NWPA to revise the budget structures in accordance with the programs of socio-economic development of the subjects of the Federation and thereby "systematically transform the budget process" (10th NWPA Conference. "On new approaches to the formation of the budget of the subject of the Russian Federation" URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/671/671bb308eca7a5d5789b72e975eb986e.pdf ), which should serve to "ensure economic growth", attract investment and help reduce dependence on federal aid (11th NWPA Conference. The decision "On the systemic transformation of the budget process and attracting investments to the subjects of the Russian Federation of the North-Western region of Russia". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/1d7/1d72c4aa89e2ae055d8bf44c2f3246d1.pdf). To this end, a regular exchange of experience was established, best practices were recommended for the development of regional budgets and the legislative framework of inter-budgetary relations of the subject of the Federation, as it was, for example, with the Law of St. Petersburg "On the basics of the budget process" (the 13th conference of the NWPA. URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/363/363b28d19e51e6b44c05c0037a3d7995.pdf ).

The second most important issues for discussion for associations was the development of laws regulating the process of state building and management in the subjects of the Federation – issues that are in the joint competence of the federal center and the regions, as well as the regions themselves. The discussion mainly focused around the draft federal law on the organization of legislative and executive authorities in the constituent entities of the Federation. On the one hand, interparliamentary associations drew attention to the issue of the speedy adoption of a federal law on the organization of legislative and executive power in the regions – both associations regularly received appeals to the Federal Assembly demanding to speed up work on it and adopt a law (11th NWPA Conference. The decision "On the appeal of the NWPA to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the preparation and adoption of the federal law on the general principles of the organization of public authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/1d7/1d72c4aa89e2ae055d8bf44c2f3246d1.pdf). But, on the other hand, many comments were made to the draft law, which were sent to the State Duma, for example, that its norms significantly restrict the subjects of the Federation in the formation of regional authorities, incorrectly redistribute powers between legislative and executive bodies, restrict the rights of a subject of the Federation in matters of taking into account the specifics of the region. In this regard, the problems of the development of regional charters and constitutions, the organization and operation of statutory courts in the subjects of the Federation are actualized (the 10th conference of the NWPA. The decision "On legislative initiatives related to the adoption of the law of the subject of the Russian Federation", the Decision "On the Statutory Court", "On the analysis of the Charters of the Subjects of the Russian Federation of the North-Western region of Russia". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/671/671bb308eca7a5d5789b72e975eb986e.pdf). During their discussion, the already established practice of generalizing the legislative experience of the subjects of the Federation that have already adopted charters and formed constitutional courts was used, such as in the Republics of Komi and Karelia (See, for example: the 16th Conference of the NWPA. The decision "On the practice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Karelia" URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/40b/40b3fb6cc99e5f77c6b984f94c972c3e.pdf ). To formalize regional legal systems, the NWPA proposed to use the draft law of St. Petersburg "On Legal Acts of the Subject of the Federation" (the 6th NWPA Conference) as a model act for its members. The decision "On the draft model law "On legal Acts of the subject of the Russian Federation". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/7dc/7dcb42dbaa5cdb4ca96bd7013365db82.pdf).

In the NWPA, much attention was paid to the organization of local self-government. The Association supported certain legislative initiatives concerning the specifics of its organization in different types of subjects of the Federation. In particular, the NWPA was recommended to support the legislative proposals of the Parliament of St. Petersburg concerning the organization of local self-government in federal cities (the 3rd NWPA Conference. The decision "On the support of legislative proposals of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/da2/da264a8911f7f13186d38dd0adef197c.pdf ), and in another draft law "On the basics of the status of an elected Person of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation" supported the changes proposed by the Novgorod Regional Duma and the Union of Russian Cities concerning the lifting of the ban on elected persons of local self-government to be deputies of regional assemblies (11th NWPA Conference. "On the draft Federal Law "On the Basics of the Status of an Elected Person of Local Self-Government in the Russian Federation". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/1d7/1d72c4aa89e2ae055d8bf44c2f3246d1.pdf). And, taking into account the needs of the subjects of the Federation, the Committee on Legal Issues was instructed to develop draft model laws "On normative acts of local Self-government" (the 15th conference of the NWPA. The decision "On the mechanism of implementation of decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on cases of compliance of normative legal acts of subjects of the Russian Federation with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal legislation". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/5cc/5ccc20e047f2f4f5fdd5910895fc39d5.pdf ), "On the Procedure for Granting Local Self-government bodies with Separate state powers" and others (17th NWPA Conference. "On the legal problems of transferring state powers to local self-government bodies" URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/513/51399c7e1be993c5c79c72ef51d90fd2.pdf ). In order to assess the effectiveness of the civil service reform in the subjects of the Federation and exchange experience, the practice of applying the federal law "On the Fundamentals of the Civil Service of the Russian Federation" was summarized (the 10th conference of the NWPA On the Practice of Implementing the Federal Law "On the Fundamentals of the Civil Service of the Russian Federation" in the subjects of the Russian Federation of the North-Western Region of Russia". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/671/671bb308eca7a5d5789b72e975eb986e.pdf).

A special focus of the associations' attention was the discussion of issues of joint management of the federal center and the regions – social, environmental and economic policy. For example, the Parliamentary Association of the Far East and Transbaikalia sent to Moscow a package of amendments and additions to the law on "On State Pensions in the Russian Federation", according to which, widows of servicemen who died during the war with Finland and Japan have the same benefits as participants in the Second World War (the Parliamentary Association "Far East and Transbaikalia". The history of the association. URL: https://www.pa-dv.ru/about/history/)). The NWPA also paid attention to pension provision, supporting the legislative initiative of the Novgorod Regional Duma to amend the federal law "On Improving pension provision for WWII participants and widows of servicemen who died in WWII, receiving pensions under the RSFSR Law "On State Pensions in the RSFSR" (6th NWPA Conference. "On the legislative initiative of the Novgorod Regional Duma to amend the Federal Law "On Improving pension provision for participants of the Great Patriotic War and widows of servicemen who died in the Great Patriotic War, receiving pensions under the Law of the RSFSR"About state pensions in the RSFSR". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/7dc/7dcb42dbaa5cdb4ca96bd7013365db82.pdf ), which were rejected by the State Duma. In addition, the association recommended using as a model Law of the Komi Republic "On additional social guarantees for the protection of motherhood and childhood" (3rd NWPA Conference. "On the draft law of the subject of the Russian Federation "On additional social guarantees for the protection of motherhood and childhood." URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/da2/da264a8911f7f13186d38dd0adef197c.pdf ), the Law of St. Petersburg "On Targeted Social Assistance" (11th NWPA Conference. The decision "On the draft law of St. Petersburg "On targeted social assistance". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/1d7/1d72c4aa89e2ae055d8bf44c2f3246d1.pdf ), and also monitored the enforcement of regional legislation on minimum social standards and sent an appeal to the State Duma with a request to adopt a federal law defining such standards (the 16th NWPA Conference. "On the practice of regional legislation on state minimum social standards". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/40b/40b3fb6cc99e5f77c6b984f94c972c3e.pdf ).

Environmental issues were also constantly discussed at meetings of both associations. For example, the problems of disposal of spent nuclear fuel from submarines in Severodvinsk, the nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the work of pulp and paper mills in the Arkhangelsk Region, the use of the Plesetsk cosmodrome were significant for the NWPA (See, for example, the 10th NWPA Conference. The decision "On measures to ensure the uninterrupted process of exporting spent nuclear fuel outside the city of Severodvinsk". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/671/671bb308eca7a5d5789b72e975eb986e.pdf). Special attention was paid to the problem of pollution of Lake Onega (17th NWPA Conference. "On the problem of preserving Lake Onega". https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/513/51399c7e1be993c5c79c72ef51d90fd2.pdf). As a model law, the association recommended using the draft law of the Kaliningrad Region "On Environmental Policy in the Kaliningrad Region" (12th NWPA Conference. "On the draft law of the Kaliningrad Region "On environmental policy in the Kaliningrad region". URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/46e/46ea80ab7a0888a45a4ebb938e0df7a0.pdf). The Parliamentary Association of the Far East and Transbaikalia discussed the issue of pollution of the Amur River basin by sewage from Chinese enterprises. In April 1995, the association approved the general concept of the Amur environmental program, which allowed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia to draw attention to the problem and intensify negotiations with the PRC on this issue ^{[7, p. 136]}.

The issues of economic development of the subjects of the Federation and the implementation of economic reforms, which are sensitive for the subjects of the Federation, are highlighted in particular. The association "Far East and Transbaikalia" and the Interparliamentary Council of the three Caucasian republics worked particularly actively in this direction. Since 1997, with the introduction of program-targeted management methods, the Far Eastern Parliamentary Association has joined the process of developing and implementing the Federal Target Program "Economic and Social Development of the Far East and Transbaikalia for 1996-2005 and up to 2010" (Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation. – 1996. – No. 17. – St. 2007), the development of the draft federal law "On the development of the Far East and Transbaikalia" ^{[8, p. 16]}. For the Far East and Transbaikalia, socio-economic reforms have become the most painful of all Russian macro-regions. Of particular importance here was the economic and geographical location of the Far East - the huge remoteness of the region from the center, the west of the country and its proximity to many countries of the Asia–Pacific region, which contributed to the reorientation of the region to foreign economic activity, which required the development of an appropriate package of regulations. In addition, during this period, the Far Eastern Association focuses on the problem of the Sakhalin fuel and energy complex, the critical situation with the provision of the territory of the Far East and Transbaikalia with gas, petroleum products, solid fuel, the export of scrap and waste of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys outside Russia (Parliamentary Association "Far East and Transbaikalia". The history of the association. URL: https://www.pa-dv.ru/about/history/). For the Interparliamentary Council of Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia and the UOC, the issues of legislative support for the economic integration of the constituent entities of the Federation were the main ones. For example, already at the III session of the Interparliamentary Council on November 20, 1998, it was decided to develop a unified program of economic (integration) cooperation of the Republic of Adygea, the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the content of which was to be the implementation of common projects (Collection of Legislation of the Republic of Adygea. – 1999. – № 3).

Mutual support of individual initiatives of the subjects of the Federation concerning their development issues was also practiced. Thus, the Association of the Far East and Transbaikalia supported the idea of creating a special economic zone in the Sakhalin region, and the North-Western Association supported the creation of such a zone in the Kaliningrad region. During the preparation of the 1998 federal budget, the Government excluded the item on customs privileges for the Kaliningrad SEZ, and the association adopted a statement of support for Kaliningrad's appeal for the return of the privilege, calling its liquidation "unacceptable" (13th NWPA Conference.  About the appeal to the President, the Government and the State Duma of the Russian Federation under the Federal Law "On the Special Economic Zone in the Kaliningrad region" URL:  https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/363/363b28d19e51e6b44c05c0037a3d7995.pdf). The NWPA adopted an appeal to the Federation Council with a request to assist in the negotiations of the Government with the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Federation on the signing of an agreement "On the improvement of public finances in the conditions of financial assistance from the federal budget." Regional deputies were not satisfied with the uniformity of the agreement for all subjects of the Federation and the lack of a procedure for agreeing the terms of the agreement with the legislative authorities of the regions (the 13th conference of the NWPA. "Appeal of the North-Western Parliamentary Association to the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly".  URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/363/363b28d19e51e6b44c05c0037a3d7995.pdf ).

Inter-parliamentary associations did not stay away from the socio-political events taking place in the country, reacting to the most important of them with statements and appeals. For example, the Parliamentary Association of the North-West in June 1995 spoke about the tragic events in Budennovsk (the 2nd conference of the NWPA. "Statement of the participants of the North-West Parliamentary Association". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/691/6919f3e2fe5678950a015ec2a3645e85.pdf ), and in May 1998 – with an appeal regarding the closure of the Vorkuta-Moscow road by the miners of the Pechora coal basin (12th NWPA Conference. Appeal to the Head of the Komi Republic, the Chairman of the State Council of the Komi Republic and the miners of the Pechora coal basin in connection with the action to close the Vorkuta-Moscow railway. URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/2fc/2fcc9342485a69bcad07569da43c7e59.pdf). In 1997, the Interparliamentary Council of Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia made statements about the events in Chechnya, as well as in the border areas of Ingushetia (New version. – Case. – 1997. – No. 24).

Since the 1990s are a period of active lawmaking and the construction of its basic foundations, the codified acts, which are a set of legislative acts regulating a homogeneous group of public relations, aroused close interest among associations. At the meetings of the NWPA, regional legislators have repeatedly discussed the draft Tax Code (9th NWPA Conference. The decision "On the development of an agreed position on the draft Tax Code of the Russian Federation". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/9cc/9cc7be91801924a03299ad2616a77a2a.pdf ), The Civil Code (11th NWPA Conference. "On the legislative initiative of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region on amendments and additions to paragraph 2 of Article 855 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation." https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/1d7/1d72c4aa89e2ae055d8bf44c2f3246d1.pdf ), Forest and Budget Codes (See e.g. 17th NWPA Conference. "On the draft Federal law "On Amendments and Additions to the Forest Code of the Russian Federation".  URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/513/51399c7e1be993c5c79c72ef51d90fd2.pdf ) and others. and they expressed and sent their comments and suggestions to the State Duma. Legislative initiatives and draft laws regulating migration, the fight against organized crime, land reform, and youth policy were also discussed at conferences and meetings of associations and councils. Taking into account the fact that the proposals of the subjects of the Federation sent to the State Duma were constantly rejected, in 1998-1999 the practice of direct appeals of the association to the Federation Council, formed during this period from the heads of the legislative and executive branches of power of the subjects of the Federation with proposals to assist the introduction of legislative initiatives to the State Duma concerning issues of exclusive jurisdiction of the Federation and joint management of the center and the regions.

By the end of the 1990s, the activities of the associations acquired an orderly character, and they intensified their desire to cooperate with other integration associations. For example, the interparliamentary associations of Northern Europe and Canada, uniting states located in the same natural and climatic zone and having the same or typical problems, fall into the zone of interest of the NWPA. In February 1997, the Association approved the participation of its members in the events of the "Russian-Canadian Parliamentary Program" and in April 1997, the Canadian Parliamentary Center in Syktyvkar held a seminar (the 6th conference of the NWPA) Decision "On a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Canadian Parliamentary Center and the State Council of the Komi Republic". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/7dc/7dcb42dbaa5cdb4ca96bd7013365db82.pdf). In 1998, the 13th NWPA Conference was attended by a delegation of the Union of Municipalities of Halland County, Sweden (the 13th NWPA Conference. URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/363/363b28d19e51e6b44c05c0037a3d7995.pdf ), and representatives of the association took part in the work of the Baltic Assembly (the 14th conference of the NWPA. The decision "On the participation of the NWPA in the work of the Baltic Assembly". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/625/625ab53d538d5b33c31b675090bcd3a9.pdf ), which was attended by the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In 1999, cooperation was established with the Nordic Council, whose participants were legislators from five Nordic countries – Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The partners organized a seminar (16) and began preparing an interaction program involving the organization of a joint parliamentary center (17th NWPA Conference. The decision "On the development of parliamentarism in Russia.". URL: https://www.vologdazso.ru/upload/iblock/513/51399c7e1be993c5c79c72ef51d90fd2.pdf ).

Thus, the strategy of the associations' activities was aimed at legislative regulation of the most important issues of state structure, budgetary, socio-economic and environmental policy, etc., councils – at creating legal conditions for the implementation of a unified concept of economic reforms in one macroregion. The implementation of the strategies of the associations was carried out by developing joint solutions containing ways to resolve common problems for the participants – the development of model laws and legislative initiatives, generalization of law enforcement practice, as well as support for individual initiatives that are key for the constituent entity of the Federation – a member of the association. The content of the cooperation of the councils was mainly related to the coordination by the subjects of the Federation of legislative support for the implementation of programs for the socio-economic development of the subjects of the Federation. A feature of the activity of interparliamentary cooperation associations in the 1990s was the discussion and expression of a consolidated position on legislation falling within the competence of the exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian Federation by adopting appeals, statements and sending proposals to the Federal Assembly. For associations and councils, it was fundamentally important to develop common positions on the federal agenda regarding the socio-political events taking place in the country and to convey the consolidated opinion of the inter-parliamentary association to the federal center.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the definition by interparliamentary associations of the goals and objectives of their activities became the basis for the formation of a strategy for mutually beneficial integration cooperation of the subjects of the Federation in the legislative sphere and the pooling of their resources, the use of which was reflected in the general and individual benefits and advantages for the subjects of the Federation – members of the associations. Associations and councils formed various strategies of activity within the limits and possibilities of both the general political and institutional environment and the selected organizational models of cooperation. To realize the integration potential, interparliamentary associations created an appropriate internal structure to ensure the development of joint solutions. The main areas of interaction that solve both common problems and specific for each of the subjects of the Federation are: the budget policy of the federal center and regions, the foundations of state-building in the subjects of the Federation, social and environmental policy, economic reforms, inter-parliamentary cooperation with other integration inter-parliamentary blocs and associations. The activities of the associations were carried out at all levels of differentiation of competence – the joint jurisdiction of the federal center and the regions, the own jurisdiction of the subjects of the Federation, including the exclusive jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, which is regulated by the federal center. In accordance with the assignment of the issue under discussion to a certain level of competence, legal acts were adopted – decisions in the form of recommendations, proposals, statements or appeals.

The regulation of the organization and activities of the association, such as in the NWPA, led to the expansion of inter-parliamentary integration cooperation, which was expressed in active interaction with inter-parliamentary integration associations of foreign countries. Such a policy of expanding the integration contour testifies to the maturity of the interregional association in organizational and substantive terms and the presence of legal personality ^{[9, p. 45]}. In general, the realization of the integration potential of the activities of inter-parliamentary associations in the 1990s contributed to overcoming legal uncertainty in the regions, as well as the development of stable relationships between them, information exchange and formed the experience of horizontal cooperation of the subjects of the Federation.