Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine of 2016 introduced the mechanism of the constitutional complaint. The normative model of the constitutional complaint chosen by the Ukrainian constitution-maker allows a person, who has exhausted all of the national legal remedies, to appeal to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) against constitutionality of law applied in its final decision. The right to appeal to CCU with the constitutional complaint is a constitutional right guaranteed by Part 4, Article 55 of the Constitution of Ukraine, and therefore should be interpreted in the manner ensuring the efficiency of this provision. In this context the question arises whether a gap in law may be the subject matter of the constitutional complaint, since constitutional rights and freedoms may be breached not only as a result of actions of public authorities but also as a result of their omissions.

The purpose of the article is to study the conditions under which a gap in law may be the subject matter of the constitutional complaint.

The issues of gaps in law were marked out as a separate focus of study in the XVIII–XIX centuries with the birth of the modern state and legal system, when the polynormativity of pre-modern society was replaced with the idea of legislative monopoly of the state. Besides, during this period the phenomenon of lacuna legis or a gap in law becomes noticeable. Because legislative monopoly and mononormativity inherent in the modern state supplanted and marginalized other normative orders used by pre-modern jurisprudence.

The article distinguishes between gaps of law and gaps in law. The gap of law means the situation of ultra legem, i.e., a lack of legal regulation of certain social relations. At the same time, the gap in law covers two cases: 1) “gaps in the wording” or “technical gaps” when the legal system does not have legal regulations which a judge may use to resolve a particular case, or when such regulations are incomplete; 2) “axiological” or “evaluative” gaps when an existing legal provision is not appropriate, satisfactory or fair.

Due to its very nature, a gap of law may not be the subject matter of constitutional control and, accordingly, the subject matter of the constitutional complaint. However, a gap in law should be the subject matter of constitutional control under constitutional complaints. After all, in this case we are talking about the quality of “law” in general, as well as about compliance by the state with its positive obligations, in particular. Therefore, gaps in law, whether axiological or technical (explicit, theological, ensuing from conflict of law or real) may be the subject matter of the constitutional complaint if they entail a breach of any of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by Section II of the Constitution of Ukraine.

Since it is impossible to define the contents of law and, accordingly, gaps in law without turning to judicial practice, the concept of “law” for the purposes of Article 1511 of the Constitution of Ukraine should also include the practice of its application by courts. The contents of “law” for the purposes of this article should be determined in accordance with the interpretation given to it by court. This, in fact, is one of the essential reasons for setting the requirement to exhaust all of the national legal remedies.

Gaps in law are the very bridge which, in terms of legal technique and reasoning, connects constitutional rights and freedoms and positive obligations of the state for purposes of the constitutional complaint. In terms of validity of the constitutional right to the constitutional complaint guaranteed by Article 55 of the Constitution of Ukraine, gaps in law may be the subject matter of the constitutional complaint and even more than this – they constitute the legal mechanism which extends constitutional control to positive obligations of the state through the mechanism of the constitutional complaint.

List of Legal Documents
 
Legislation 
1. Hospodarskyi protsesualnyi kodeks [Code of Commercial Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 6 lystopada 1991 r. № 1798-XII. URL: http:// zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1798-12 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
2. Kodeks administratyvnoho sudochynstva Ukrainy [Code of Administrative Justice of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 6 lypnia 2005 r. № 2747-IV. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2747-15 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
3. Kryminalnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Criminal Code of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 5 kvitnia 2001 r. № 2341-III. URL:http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/2341-14 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
4. Kryminalnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 13 kvitnia 2012 r. № 4651-VI. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/4651-17 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
5. Pro Konstytutsiinyi Sud Ukrainy [On the Constitutional Court of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 13 lypnia 2017 r. № 2136-VIII. URL: http://zakon. rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2136-19 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
6. Pro poriadok tymchasovoi dii na terytorii Ukrainy okremykh aktiv zakonodavstva Soiuzu RSR [On Procedure for Provisional Application on Certain Acts of USSR Legislation on the Territory of Ukraine]: рostanova Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy [Resolution of the Verhovna Rada of Ukraine] vid 12 veresnia 1991 r. № 1545-XII. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1545-12 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
7. Pro pravonastupnytstvo Ukrainy [On Succession of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 12 veresnia 1991 r. № 1543-XII. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/1543-12 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
8. Tsyvilnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy [Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 18 bereznia 2004 r. № 1618-IV. URL: http://zakon. rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1618-15 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
9. General Report of the XIVth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts on Problems of Legislative Omission in Constitutional Jurisprudence [2008] Bulletin on Constitutional Case-Law 4 (in English). 
10. European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission). Study on Individual Access to Constitutional Justice (CDL-AD(2010)039rev., 2011) (in English). 
11. Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Achour v France dated 29 March 2006, para 42 accessed 30 October 2018 (in English). 
12. Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Cantoni v. France dated 11 November 1996, para. 29 accessed 30 October 2018 (in English). 
13. Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Coëme and Others v. Belgium dated 22 June 2000, para 145 accessed 30 October 2018 (in English). 
14. Portuguese Constitutional Court. Problems of Legislative Omission in Constitutional Jurisprudence. Portuguese Report for the XIVth Congress of the Conference of European Constitutional Courts (2008) 3 accessed 30 October 2018 (in English). 
15. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym podanniam Upovnovazhenoho Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy z prav liudyny shchodo vidpovidnosti Konstytutsii Ukrainy (konstytutsiinosti) polozhen chastyny piatoi statti 21 Zakonu Ukrainy ‘Pro svobodu sovisti ta relihiini orhanizatsii (sprava pro zavchasne spovishchennia pro provedennia publichnykh bohosluzhin, relihiinykh obriadiv, tseremonii ta protsesii) [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Submission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Commissioner for Human Rights Concerning the Compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine (Constitutionality) of the Provisions of Part Five, Article 21 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations’ (Case of Early Notification about Public Worships, Religious Rites, Ceremonies and Processions)] vid 8 veresnia 2016 r. № 6-rp/2016. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/ru/ v006p710-16/sp:max25 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
16. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym podanniam Upovnovazhenoho Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy z prav liudyny shchodo vidpovidnosti Konstytutsii Ukrainy (konstytutsiinosti) polozhennia tretoho rechennia chastyny pershoi statti 13 Zakonu Ukrainy “Pro psykhiatrychnu dopomohu” (sprava pro sudovyi kontrol za hospitalizatsiieiu nediiezdatnykh osib do psykhiatrychnoho zakladu) [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Submission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Commissioner for Human Rights Concerning the Compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine (Constitutionality) of the Provisions of the Third Sentence, Part One, Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine “On Psychiatric Care” (Case of Judicial Control Over Hospitalization of Incapacitated Persons to a Psychiatric Institution)] vid 1 chervnia 2016 r. № 2-rp/2016. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/v002p710-16 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
17. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym podanniam Upovnovazhenoho Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy z prav liudyny shchodo vidpovidnosti Konstytutsii Ukrainy (konstytutsiinosti) chastyny shostoi statti 216 Kryminalnoho protsesualnoho kodeksu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Submission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Commissioner for Human Rights Concerning the Compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine (Constitutionality) of Part Six, Article 216 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine] vid 24 kvitnia 2018 r. № 3-r/2018. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/v003p710-18 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
18. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym zvernenniam hromadianyna Zaichenka Volodymyra Heorhiiovycha shchodo ofitsiinoho tlumachennia polozhennia punktu 18 chastyny pershoi statti 293 Tsyvilnoho protsesualnoho kodeksu Ukrainy u vzaiemozviazku zi statteiu 129 Konstytutsii Ukrainy (pro apeliatsiine oskarzhennia ukhval sudu) [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Application of Citizen Zaichenko Volodymyr Heorhiiovych Concerning the Official Interpretation of the Provision of Clause 18, Part One, Article 293 of the Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine with Reference to Article 129 of the Constitution of Ukraine (On Appeal Against Court Rulings)] vid 27 sichnia 2010 r. № 3-rp/2010. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v003p710-10 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
19. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym zvernenniam hromadianyna Suboty Artema Anatoliiovycha shchodo ofitsiinoho tlumachennia polozhen punktu 2 chastyny pershoi statti 293 Tsyvilnoho protsesualnoho kodeksu Ukrainy (sprava pro zabezpechennia apeliatsiinoho oskarzhennia ukhval sudu) [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Application of Citizen Subota Artem Anatoliiovych Concerning the Official Interpretation of the Provisions of Clause 2, Part One, Article 293 of the Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine (Case of Support to the Appeal Against Court Rulings)] vid 28 kvitnia 2010 r. № 12-rp/2010. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/ v012p710-10 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
20. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym zvernenniam hromadianyna Slobodianiuka Ivana Ivanovycha shchodo ofitsiinoho tlumachennia polozhennia punktu 12 chastyny pershoi statti 293 Tsyvilnoho protsesualnoho kodeksu Ukrainy u vzaiemozviazku z polozhenniamy punktiv 2, 8 chastyny tretoi statti 129 Konstytutsii Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Application of Citizen Slobodianiuk Ivan Ivanovych Concerning the Official Interpretation of the Provision of Clause 12, Part One, Article 293 of the Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine with Reference to the Provisions of Clauses 2, 8 of Part Three, Article 129 of the Constitution of Ukraine] vid 8 lypnia 
2010 r. № 18-rp/2010. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v018p710-10 (ac cessed: 
30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
21. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy u spravi za konstytutsiinym zvernenniam hromadianyna Troiana Antona Pavlovycha shchodo ofitsiinoho tlumachennia polozhen statti 24 Konstytutsii Ukrainy (sprava pro rivnist storin sudovoho protsesu) [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the Case Following the Constitutional Application of Citizen Troian Anton Pavlovych Concerning the Official Interpretation of the Provisions of Article 24 of the Constitution of Ukraine (Case of Equality of the Parties to the Trial)] vid 12 kvitnia 2012 r. № 9-rp/2012. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/ laws/show/v009p710-12 (accessed: 30.10.2018) (in Ukrainian). 

Bibliography
 
Authored books 
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Edited books 
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