As part of Ukraine’s European integration process, a high-level event entitled “Rule of Law Roadmap: One Year after Adoption” took place in Kyiv. The event was dedicated to discussing progress, challenges and further priorities in the implementation of reforms in the areas of the rule of law, fundamental rights, justice, freedom and security.
The event brought together representatives of state institutions, civil society, projects of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and the diplomatic community: the Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, Katarína Mathernová, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine, Gaël Veyssière, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Ukraine, Heiko Thoms.
During the discussion, participants focused on the practical implementation of reforms, strengthening institutional capacity, coordination among the stakeholders involved, and the importance of ensuring the sustainability of reforms in the context of the full-scale war.
The Rule of Law Roadmap is one of Ukraine’s key strategic documents on its path towards membership of the European Union. It defines priority areas for reforms in justice, preventing and combating corruption, ensuring fundamental rights, as well as justice, freedom and security. The document is one of the key preconditions for the opening of formal negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, and its development and further implementation demonstrate Ukraine’s readiness to meet EU standards.
Within their activities, Council of Europe projects provide expert support to state institutions in the implementation of the Roadmaps under Chapters 23 and 24, including by supporting the alignment of Ukraine’s legislation, policies and practices with European standards and Council of Europe standards. Particular attention is given to the rule of law, human rights protection, non-discrimination, combating hate speech and hate crimes motivated by intolerance, protecting the rights of national minorities and the LGBTI community, supporting penitentiary system reform in line with the European standards, and strengthening institutional capacity.
The Council of Europe’s expert support is based on its standards, which serve as an important reference point for reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law, protecting fundamental rights and ensuring equality for all. Therefore, in the context of Ukraine’s European integration, Council of Europe support is directed not only at facilitating legislative changes, but also at the practical implementation of reforms. This includes expert consultations, analytical support, training activities, support for inter-institutional dialogue, and the involvement of civil society in the development and implementation of policies.
The Council of Europe will continue to support Ukraine in implementing European standards, strengthening democratic institutions, ensuring the rule of law and promoting human rights within the European integration process.
Systemic support for the implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap is provided by the joint EU and Council of Europe project “Support for implementing European standards relating to anti-discrimination and rights of national minorities in Ukraine”, the Council of Europe projects “Supporting the reform of the legislative framework on national minorities and strengthening the resilience of national minorities and Roma in Ukraine”, “Protecting the rights of Ukrainian children and ensuring child-friendly justice” and “Towards more humane detention conditions and reduced reoffending in Ukraine (DECOPRIS)”.
