EU Project Pravo-Justice Presents Six-Month Results
On Thursday, 29 January, the fourth Steering Committee meeting of Phase III of EU Project Pravo-Justice, implemented by Expertise France, took place. During the meeting, the Project team presented the results achieved between July and December 2025 and discussed future plans with beneficiaries and stakeholders.
Oksana Tsymbrivska, Team Leader at EU Project Pravo-Justice, noted that the adoption of the Rule of Law Roadmap in May 2025 defined the key focus of the Project’s work during the reporting period — supporting the implementation of the Roadmap as a strategic framework for the European integration process in the field of the rule of law.
“After the adoption of the Roadmap, the Project focused on practical support for its implementation – from identifying the beneficiaries’ actual needs to strengthening donor coordination and supporting the coordinating role of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. In particular, we have involved 35 donors in the donor coordination process,” said the Team Leader at EU Project Pravo-Justice.
Oksana Tsymbrivska also highlighted that the Project involved more than 70 civil society organisations in the coordination process related to the Roadmap implementation.
“We are convinced that it is impossible to effectively implement reforms without the active involvement of civil society. That is why the Project consistently engages the civil society in the processes of implementing and monitoring these reforms,” she concluded.
Providing high-quality analytical and methodological support for decision-making in the process of qualitative change was also an important aspect of the work done by EU Project Pravo-Justice. As a result, over the six-month reporting period, the Project team analysed more than 150 legislative initiatives, analytical and methodological documents, as well as criminal proceedings concerning war crimes and other international crimes.
“Reforms in the field of the rule of law require time, institutional memory, consistency and should be led from inside. Leadership in reforms belong to Ukraine and its institutions, since they are the only ones qualified to drive qualitative change forward. The EU Project Pravo-Justice, as the European Union’s flagship instrument, supports Ukrainian institutions in their stage-by-stage transition from strategic plans to practical results. We are partners that work together, and this project is a good example of how we can help Ukraine when it leads on reforms,” underlined Asier Santillán, Head of the European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society Section of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.
François Cottel, political advisor to the French Embassy in Ukraine, stressed the importance of trust and genuine partnership as key prerequisites for Ukraine’s successful advancement toward membership in the European Union.
“The EU accession process is not only a merit-based process, but also a process for building mutual trust. Reforms are complex and painstaking, but they can be achieved through joint efforts taken by Ukraine, the EU and its Member States. For my part, I can assure you that France remains committed to supporting Ukraine and its EU accession process – in Paris, in Brussels and, of course, here in Kyiv, in particular through EU Project Pravo-Justice, which focuses on two key areas – strengthening the rule of law and combating impunity – which are crucial for Ukraine’s future and successful European integration,” stressed François Cottel.
Nataliia Panchuk, Director General of the Directorate for Strategic Planning and European Integration at the Ministry of Justice, also took part in the Project Steering Committee meeting. In particular, she outlined the key priorities for continued cooperation with the Project.
“The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine highly values its long-standing cooperation with EU Project Pravo-Justice and considers it an important basis for further collaboration, particularly in the field of European integration. The Project’s expert support contributes significantly to the implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap. In the context of further cooperation, our priorities include the enforcement of court decisions, reform and digitalisation of the penitentiary system, sanctions policy, as well as issues of bankruptcy, solvency and mutual legal assistance,” noted Nataliia Panchuk.
During the event, Olha Sribniak, Deputy Team Leader at EU Project Pravo-Justice, also highlighted the Project’s upcoming priorities, in particular:
- supporting the implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap measures, the Ukraine Facility Plan, and the recommendations set out in the EU Enlargement Reports;
- supporting measures to advance the prosecution of and accountability for international crimes;
- completing the development and transfer of IT tools to beneficiaries;
- completing the implementation of grant initiatives in the field of justice carried out by civil society organisations with the support of the Project;
- ensuring continued support for justice sector reform processes during the Project’s completion phase.
Sofia Oliinyk, Country Director at Expertise France Office in Ukraine, Denys Lysenko, Deputy Head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict, Maksym Radzivon, Chair of the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors, Rasim Babanly, First Deputy Chief of Staff and Head of the Department of Analytical and Legal Work at the Supreme Court, Oksana Kvasha, Deputy Chair of the High Council of Justice, Oleh Koliush, Deputy Chair of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, Oleksandr Oliinyk, Director of the Directorate of Justice and Criminal Justice at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Oleksii Movchan, Member of Parliament, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy, Maksym Pampura, Head of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, and other representatives of the judiciary and justice sector institutions.
Phase III of EU Project Pravo-Justice spans 30 months – from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2026 – with a total budget of €13.36 million. The Project covers four key areas: prosecution reform and accountability for international crimes; judicial reform; enforcement of court decisions and protection of property rights; and support for the EU integration process in the justice sector.