Representatives of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and its territorial departments started discussion with the Council of Europe on the optimisation of functioning of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine

On 17 – 18 July 2017, a seminar on optimisation of functioning of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and its territorial departments took place in Yaremche, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Ukraine. The event was jointly organised by the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and the Council of Europe project “Support to the implementation of the judicial reform in Ukraine”.

The seminar became a first event dedicated to optimisation of functions of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and its territorial departments with regard to new Ukrainian legislation on the judiciary and standards of the Council of Europe. The seminar was attended by the Head and representatives of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, by heads of its territorial departments and by representatives of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine and the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service. The Council of Europe was represented by Ms Lilit Daneghian, Head of the Justice Sector Reform Unit of the Justice and Legal Co-operation Department, Ms Olena Lytvynenko, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, and by the team of the Council of Europe project “Support to the implementation of the judicial reform in Ukraine”. Also, the following Council of Europe experts were invited to provide their expertise during the seminar: Mr Francesco Contini, Senior Researcher from the Research Institute on Judicial Systems, National Research Council of Italy, and Ms Kristine Sargsyan, Change Management Consultant and Founder of TEDxYerevan.

During the event the participants analysed results of the work of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and its territorial departments in the first half of 2017, and discussed the relationship between the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and other judicial institutions. Special attention was paid to the alignment of functions on court management between the heads of territorial departments of the State Judicial Administration and presidents of courts.

The Council of Europe experts provided information on the standards of the Council of Europe on court administration, and on prerequisites for successful improvement of functions of state authorities, based on the best European practices.

Following the discussions, the participants, together with the Council of Europe experts, developed a step-by-step action plan for optimisation of functions of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and on the improvement of communications with courts and other judicial institutions.

Further work on optimisation of functioning of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine will be conducted within the Council of Europe project “Support to the implementation of the judicial reform in Ukraine”. The Council of Europe project “Support to the implementation of the judicial reform in Ukraine” aims at ensuring 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.

WEB LINKS TO THE SEMINAR

State Judicial Administration of Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk oblast State Administration

Court of Appeal of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast