Member of the Commission Mr. Andrii Kozlov gave a speech at the National Legal Forum “Access to Justice in the Context of Judicial Reform”
On 25 May 2018, the national legal forum “Access to Justice in the Context of Judicial Reform” was held in the city of Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, in which the member of the Qualification Chamber of the Commission Mr. Andrii Kozlov took part.
Problematic issues of the work of the judicial system, especially the first instance, in the context of joint forces’ operation for the provision of national security and defense in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were discussed at the event. Considerable attention was paid to finding the ways to address the situation in the work of courts in this area.
Mr. Andrii Kozlov informed the audience about the peculiarities and interim results of the procedures conducted by the Commission for filling the judicial corps: secondment, qualification assessment, transfer of judges of liquidated courts and selection of judges of the first instance. “It is necessary to continue to work on improving the procedural rules. This will improve the access to justice. In particular, the staged organization of the continuity of the process, the flexibility of time limits for decision making depending on the complexity and types of cases, the identification of process participants in the “electronic court”, said the representative of the Commission. In his speech, Mr. Andrii Kozlov also emphasized the importance of friendly attitude of judicial institutions to visitors.
The participants of the legal forum discussed procedural novelties of the judicial reform and prospects of their application, criminal law problems of unity of law enforcement practice, ways of providing access to justice in conditions of the armed conflict in the territory of Eastern Ukraine in the context of judicial reform.
Judges of local and appellate courts in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Supreme Court, judicial government bodies and judicial self-government bodies, leading national academicians, state officials, legal practitioners and civil society representatives participated in the discussion.
The event was organized within the framework of the joint project activity of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine and the Supreme Court, aimed at ensuring the right to fair trial and access to justice.
Reference:
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine is entitled to plan and monitor the implementation of OSCE projects which assist Ukraine in enhancing its security and improving legislation, institutions and practices in compliance with democratic standards. The purpose of this activity is to support the country's efforts to ensure that its laws, structures and processes meet the requirements of a modern democratic state, and create a safe environment for its citizens. Ambassador Vaidotas Verba is the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine since 1 September 2014.
