Continuing reforms, learning from international case law and supporting the process of European integration - further areas of cooperation between the Supreme Court and the EU project "Pravo-Justice"

Assistance from international partners, in particular the European Union's "Pravo-Justice" project, is needed in the context of Ukraine's European integration, as well as to address current issues related to the consideration of criminal proceedings for war crimes, the study of international case law, overcoming the staffing crisis in the courts, and identifying the causes of systemic problems that lead to a significant volume of such cases.

This was stated by the President of the Supreme Court, Stanislav Kravchenko, during a working meeting with representatives of the EU project "Pravo-Justice". The President of the Supreme Court thanked the project for its reliable, long-term support, which has always been important to the justice system in Ukraine and has become invaluable in times of war.

Oksana Tsymbrivska, Country Manager at EU project "Pravo-Justice", noted that the Supreme Court was a strategic partner of the project and expressed readiness for further systematic cooperation. She also outlined the key aspects of future cooperation, including expert support in the process of European integration in the field of justice, establishing communication with representatives of the Supreme Courts of European countries and continuing the implementation of judicial reform.

Anna Adamska-Gallant, the Project's International Key Expert on judicial reform, added that an important area of cooperation will be the study of European legislation by Ukrainian judges and the improvement of their knowledge of international criminal law. In addition, the project is ready to provide expert assistance to improve the organisation of the work of the Supreme Court.

In the context of the discussion on legislative initiatives related to the judiciary, Volodymyr Chaban, the Project's National Key Expert, stressed that a fair balance should be struck when making relevant legislative changes, so as not to jeopardise the independence of the judiciary, but rather to contribute to strengthening the institutional capacity of the judiciary.

Finally, Olha Sribniak, the Project's National Key Expert, informed that the project's efforts will also be aimed at assisting courts in investigating problematic aspects of the application of international humanitarian law.