How can European standards be translated into the daily work of parliament? How can Council of Europe expertise and instruments support the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as it advances reforms and its European integration agenda? These questions were at the heart of the Strategic Session “Parliamentary Legislative Process in Ukraine through the Lens of the Council of Europe Standards”, held on 4–6 August 2026.
The Strategic Session brought together the leadership of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, senior officials from its structural divisions and representatives of the Secretariats of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Committees. Held as part of consultations on the future Council of Europe support to the Ukrainian Parliament, the event provided an opportunity to take stock of existing cooperation and jointly explore priorities for its next stage.
Over three days, participants looked beyond individual Council of Europe instruments and institutions to consider how their expertise can be used in practice throughout the legislative process. They examined the mandates, working methods and available instruments of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), as well as various Council of Europe directorates and departments.
The discussions centred on a practical question: what can be done differently, or better, in the day-to-day work of the Parliament to ensure that legislation is developed and implemented in line with Council of Europe standards?
Council of Europe experts and participants explored this question through a series of moderated discussions covering human rights, democracy, the rule of law, equality and non-discrimination, digitalisation and other areas relevant to the quality and effectiveness of the legislative process. Particular attention was paid to the practical use of Council of Europe standards and expertise in the context of Ukraine’s ongoing reforms and European integration.
In his introductory remarks, Viacheslav SHTUCHNYI, Secretary General of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, underlined the importance of continued cooperation with the Council of Europe and of ensuring that European standards and expertise are effectively reflected in the work of the Ukrainian Parliament.
“European standards are already an important component of the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the legislative process. Our task today is to deepen their practical implementation, expand the use of expertise and instruments of the Council of Europe and further improve parliamentary procedures,” he underlined.
Opening the Strategic Session, Louise BARTON, Director of Committees of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, emphasised the deliberately practical focus of the programme. She noted that the discussions were organised around issues that the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine addresses in its daily work, including the quality of legislation, legal certainty, parliamentary procedures, human rights, transparency, public consultation and the checks and safeguards that can contribute to better legislation both before and after its adoption.
“This practical focus is particularly important at a time when Ukraine is carrying forward major reforms and advancing its European integration agenda, while continuing to operate under the conditions of war,” she stressed.
The Strategic Session also provided an opportunity to strengthen direct working links between the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the different Council of Europe institutions and bodies. Through exchanges with practitioners and experts, participants discussed not only what the Council of Europe standards provide, but also how they can be applied to concrete parliamentary processes and procedures.
The discussions will provide an important basis for the next stage of cooperation. The conclusions and practical outcomes of the Strategic Session will inform consultations on future Council of Europe support to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and contribute to defining priorities for the next Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2027–2030.
The Strategic Session* thus marked another step in the established dialogue between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Ukrainian Parliament – helping to connect European standards, parliamentary practice and Ukraine’s reform and European integration agenda.
*The Strategic Session was conducted within the framework of the inception phase of the Council of Europe project “PACE UP (Support to the Ukrainian Parliament)” implemented by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023 – 2026.
