Expert consultations on the draft legislation of Ukraine on misdemeanors were organised in the Council of Europe Headquarters in Strasbourg on 9 November 2016. The consultations were led by the Special Advisor to the CoE Secretary General for Ukraine. The purpose of the consultations was to discuss the draft Law N2897 on Amendments to the Legislative Acts of Ukraine introducing the Provisions on Criminal Misdemeanor Offences.

The Ukrainian delegation included the Chairperson and members of the Law Enforcement Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, the Deputy Head of the High Specialised Court on Civil and Criminal Cases, the Deputy Prosecutor General, other representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Interior. In the framework of the consultations, the Council of Europe experts also met with the Ukrainian civil society representatives.

Comprehensive discussions between the Ukrainian counterparts and the Council of Europe representatives and experts led to the clarification of many elements of the reform, both from the conceptual and practical perspectives. The Council of Europe consultants presented their preliminary comments and recommendations resulting from the review of the draft Law N2897. Visions and approaches of national stakeholders towards the reform were discussed. Options for the improvement of the draft legal framework were proposed. The Ukrainian authorities confirmed their strong commitment to further align the relevant draft legal framework with European standards and best practices. The Council of Europe remains ready to continue supporting this process.

The consultations were organised by the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe under the project “Continued Support to criminal justice reform in Ukraine”, funded by the Danish government, and the Joint EU/CoE Programme “Strengthening Implementation of European Human Rights Standards in Ukraine”.