The Council of Europe Project “Support to the implementation of the judicial reform in Ukraine” began its work, 5 April, 2016
On 5 April 2016 the Council of Europe Project “Support to the implementation of the judicial reform in Ukraine” officially started its work. It aims to ensure independence, fairness and effectiveness of the judiciary by supporting Ukraine in the implementation of its justice sector reform in accordance with Council of Europe standards and recommendations. The total duration of the Project is three years. Its activities will be supported through the financial contribution of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The first constitutive meeting of the Project Steering Committee was devoted to coordination of plans and common areas of activity of the Project. To participate in the Steering Committee were invited the leaders of the Supreme Court of Ukraine and high specialized courts, the representatives of executive and legislative branches, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine and the High Council of Justice.
At the meeting of the Steering Committee the welcoming speech was made by Mrs. Hanne Juncher, Head of the Justice and Legal Co-operation Department, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe, Mr. Sergii Koziakov, Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, Mr. Ihor Benedysiuk, Chairman of the High Council of Justice, Mrs. Valentyna Simonenko, Chairman of the Council of Judges of Ukraine, Mr. Yaroslav Romaniuk, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, Mr. Borys Hulko, Chairman of the High Specialized Court of Ukraine for Civil and Criminal Cases, Mr. Oleksandr Nechytailo, Chairman of the High Administrative Court of Ukraine, Mr. Bohdan Lvov, Chairman of the High Commercial Court of Ukraine, Mr. Mykola Onishchuk, Rector of the National School of Judges of Ukraine.
The Project will involve the cooperation of different branches of power, European partners and civil society leaders in several areas: to support the drafting and adoption of constitutional and other legislative amendments related to the judicial reform in Ukraine and improve the regulatory framework for the institutional and procedural set-up of the judiciary; to support the Ukrainian judiciary in installing an effective system of judicial accountability based on European standards and recommendations; to support Ukraine in developing the system of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) by the introduction of mediation mechanisms and improvement of an arbitration system; to support Ukraine in the strengthening of the institutional capacity and the review of responsibilities of the highest judicial instances allowing for a more efficient review of cases following ECtHR judgments against Ukraine.
In addition, the Project is planned to analyze the court practice of Ukraine in resuming the proceedings as part of the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights judgements, and to discuss the introduction of domestic remedies against excessive length of judicial proceedings.
After the event was finished the participants of the Steering Committee Meeting took part in the official opening of the Project, during which they made suggestions regarding the fields of cooperation in the framework of the Project and learned about plans for 2016.
