EU Project Pravo-Justice Summarised the Results of Its Work for July to December 2024
On Thursday, January 30, the Second Steering Committee Meeting of Phase Three of EU Project Pravo-Justice, implemented by Expertise France, took place. During the event, the Project Team presented the results of their work for the past six months and discussed future plans with beneficiaries and stakeholders.
Oksana Tsymbrivska, Team Leader of EU Project Pravo-Justice, presented up-to-date information on project management. She emphasised that all the results of the Project had become possible due to close cooperation with the beneficiaries. She also assured that they could count on the Project’s full support in the future, despite ever-changing international context.
“Being the EU Project, we are ready to respond to the changes, so that Ukraine can pursue all the processes and safeguard the continuity of reforms in the justice sector on the path towards the EU,” said Oksana Tsymbrivska.
Liudmyla Suhak, Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration, Chair of the Steering Committee of EU Project Pravo-Justice, emphasised that the Ministry of Justice achieved all the goals set for the cooperation with the Project in 2024.
“We are extremely grateful to the Project for being ready to reformat and support us on the most pressing issues. Some tremendous assistance has been provided in a timely, comprehensive, and flexible manner, while covering almost all areas of the Ministry’s work,” said Deputy Minister of Justice.
Deputy Minister of Justice has particularly thanked the Project for its assistance in the process of preparing for bilateral meetings within the framework of the screening of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU legislation, as well as during the actual negotiations. She expressed hope that the scope of support would not decrease, because there were still many challenges ahead, in particular the implementation of the roadmaps. Liudmyla Suhak also asked the Project to consider the possibility of joining the implementation of other projects in connection with the suspension of assistance from the United States.
“Despite the fact that Pravo-Justice is our largest donor, we also received support from American projects, many of which are currently suspended, unfortunately. However, Ukraine cannot and has no right to stop,” she emphasised.
Gael Veyssiere, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine, highlighted the role of the Project and the Expertise France agency in reforming the Ukrainian justice sector and strengthening the European integration processes in Ukraine, calling it invaluable. In particular, he mentioned the Shadow Report to Chapter 23 “Justice and Fundamental Rights” of the European Commission’s Report on Ukraine in 2023, which had been prepared with the assistance of EU Project Pravo-Justice. According to him, that important document was one of Ukraine’s greatest achievements within the negotiation process.
He also highlighted the role of the Project in combating impunity for war crimes in Ukraine. “It is through the efforts of representatives of the prosecutorial bodies, supported by the Project, that the accountability for various crimes committed in the Ukrainian territory is ensured, in particular for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Pravo-Justice is involved in the development of such areas as accountability for environmental crimes and expands the technical capacity of PPOs, providing equipment that allows for better investigation and documentation of crimes. This is right, because the principle of inevitability of punishment should apply to such categories of crimes,” said His Excellency Ambassador.
According to Stefan Schleuning, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, EU Project Pravo-Justice played a key role in the negotiation process, providing expert support, as well as attracting partners from civil society.
He also outlined the key tasks that await Ukraine. In particular, this is the continuation and proper consolidation of the results of the judicial reform: completion of the selection for the Constitutional Court of Ukraine; setup of the High Administrative Court; strengthening the capacity of the HCJ Service of Disciplinary Inspectors etc.
“EU Project Pravo-Justice remains a reliable partner for the Ukrainian authorities and will continue applying efforts to provide support in various areas,” stated Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.
For his part, Dmytro Lukianov, Deputy Chair of the High Council of Justice, extended his appreciation to the Project for supporting all areas of judicial reform, in particular, for expert and technical support for the activities of the selection commission for the selection of candidates for vacant positions in the Service of Disciplinary Inspectors of the High Council of Justice.
“Setting up of the Service Disciplinary of Inspectors is one of the key stages of judicial reform, stipulated in all international legal obligations of Ukraine. The Service is a completely new body within the High Council of Justice. This unit has already started its operation. This week, the first meetings of the Disciplinary Chambers of the High Council of Justice were launched with the participation of disciplinary inspectors. Thus, together we are mastering a new disciplinary procedure,” said Dmytro Lukianov.
He also emphasised the importance of the Project’s support for the activities of the Ethics Council and the activities of the Selection Commission for the selection of candidates for membership in the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.
Viktoriia Litvinova, Deputy Prosecutor General, noted that the support of EU Project Pravo-Justice played a key role in overcoming the challenges faced by the Office of the Prosecutor General, in particular in bringing to justice for international crimes.
“Our cooperation with EU Project Pravo-Justice is successfully progressing both within the framework of the Consultative Group on International Crimes (ACA) and at the bilateral level. We jointly address strategic tasks, such as developing concepts for mapping criminal proceedings and writing strategic documents on prosecuting war crimes, in particular against the environment and cultural heritage of Ukraine. These documents will allow us strengthen towards a reliable and sustainable legal system compliant with international standards,” she said.
According to Viktoriia Litvinova, the Office of the Prosecutor General, supported by the Project, will also start developing profiles of juvenile prosecutors. “The Project also helps us developing standard notices of suspicion of international crimes, as well as developing prosecutorial standards for the prosecution of individual war crimes, and conducting a nation-wide crime study,” said Deputy Prosecutor General sharing plans for the near future.
Asier Santillan Luzuriaga, Head of Section for Good Governance and Rule of Law at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, also noted the achievements of the Project over the past six months. He emphasised that the process of European integration and compliance with the requirements related to ensuring the rule of law and carrying out the necessary reforms were a key priority for Ukraine. He also assured the Ukrainian counterparts that the EU was working to minimise the negative effects of the US assistance being suspended.
“We will manage to find a solution that will allow Ukraine continue its democratic path, despite the existing difficult circumstances. The reform process shall not stop, and we are here to ensure the stability and continuity of this process,” he stated.
The meeting was also attended by Sectoral Managers of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Alban Biaussat and Tomas Stravinskas, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Yevhen Pikalov, Chair of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine Andrii Pasichnyk, Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy Pavlo Pavlish, MP Oleksii Movchan, Deputy Prosecutor General Viktoriia Litvinova, Acting Head of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine Maksym Pampura, and other representatives of the judiciary and justice sector institutions.