According to Article 73 of the Law of Ukraine “On the High Council of Justice”, in order to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and the authority of justice in Ukraine, the High Council of Justice jointly with the judicial self-governance bodies, other judicial institutions and civil society organisations prepares and disseminates an annual report on ensuring the independence of the judiciary.

On 13 February 2018, the High Council of Justice adopted the report for 2017 “On ensuring the independence of the judiciary in Ukraine” (the Annual report). It is the first official document in Ukrainian history which analyses the challenges that the Ukrainian judiciary is facing. The Annual report was prepared with an expert and technical support of the Department of Justice and Legal Co-operation of the Council of Europe, and presented in Kyiv on 23 February 2018. More information on this event is available at the link https://www.coe.int/en/web/kyiv/-/on-23-february-2018-the-high-council-of-justice-presented-its-report-on-ensuring-the-independence-of-the-judiciary-in-ukraine-in-2017.

As a follow-up to this event, on 13 and 20 April 2018, the Annual report was further presented and discussed in Chernivtsi and Kharkiv respectively. Both events were jointly organised by the High Council of Justice and the Council of Europe project “Supporting Ukraine in execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights” (the Project) which is funded by the Human Rights Trust Fund.

The Head and members of the High Council of Justice, representatives of the Council of Judges of Ukraine, presidents and judges of local courts, representatives of Chernivtsi and Kharkiv regional departments of the National School of Judges of Ukraine and the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, representatives of the law-enforcement authorities took part in the activities. The Council of Europe was represented by the Head and Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, by the Project team, and by Ms Danutė Jočienė, who is a judge of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania and an international expert the Council of Europe.

Participants of the events discussed the content of the Annual report, the practice of the High Council of Justice on ensuring the independence of the judiciary and in disciplinary proceedings against judges, as well as standards of the Council of Europe regarding judicial independence and the measures required for the full execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the case Oleksandr Volkov v. Ukraine and in the Salov v. Ukraine group of cases.

When speaking about the independence of the judiciary, the Project presented the Ukrainian translation of the Report on judicial independence and impartiality in the Council of Europe member states in 2017. This Report was prepared by the Bureau of the Consultative Council of European Judges following the proposal of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and was adopted on 7 February 2018. The Report is available at the link https://rm.coe.int/2017-report-situation-ofjudges-in-member-states/1680786ae1, its translation into Ukrainian is available at the link  http://rm.coe.int/ccje-bu-2017-11e-07-02-2018-docx-uk-edited-ak/16807bee3.

The Annual report of the High Council of Justice is available at the link http://www.vru.gov.ua/content/act/463_13.02_.2018_.pdf.

The Council of Europe project “Supporting Ukraine in execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights” is being funded by the Human Rights Trust Fund and implemented by the Justice and Legal Co-operation Department of the Council of Europe. The aim of the Project is to support Ukraine in the improvement of its national system of execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights that involve violations of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, where the root cause is an issue within the judiciary. 

WEB LINKS TO THE PRESENTATION IN CHERNIVTSI

http://www.vru.gov.ua/news/3529 – High Council of Justice

https://zp.arbitr.gov.ua/press/news/470797/ - Judicial Branch of Power in Ukraine (official website of the judiciary in Ukraine)

https://cva.court.gov.ua/sud2490/pres-centr/news/466430/- Chernivtsi oblast court of appeal

https://cv.court.gov.ua/tu26/pres-centr/news/467592/ - Territorial Department of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine in Chernivtsi oblast

http://lawfaculty.chnu.edu.ua/?p=7617 – Chernivtsi National Yuriy Fedkovych University

WEB LINKS TO THE PRESENTATION IN KHARKIV

http://www.vru.gov.ua/news/3559 - High Council of Justice

http://rsu.gov.ua/ua/news/v-harkovi-vidbulas-prezentacia-soricnoi-dopovidi-za-2017-rik-pro-stan-zabezpecenna-nezaleznosti-suddiv-v-ukraini - Council of Judges of Ukraine

https://court.gov.ua/press/pressofficeanons/466957/ - Judicial Branch of Power in Ukraine (official website of the judiciary in Ukraine)

https://hra.court.gov.ua/sud2090/pres-centr/news/470717/ - Kharkiv oblast court of appeal