Oleksandr Mamalui, Vice President of the Supreme Court, took part in the Annual General Meeting of the European Judges Group for Mediation (GEMME)

On 24-25 May 2024, Vice President of the Supreme Court Oleksandr Mamalui took part in the Conference and General Assemblies of the European Judges Group for Mediation (GEMME), which took place in the Grand Chamber of the Cour de Cassation of France in Paris. 

The First President of the Cour de Cassation Christophe Soulard, President of the Supreme Court of Sweden and President of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union Anders Eka, and GEMME President Rosalia Fernández Alaya delivered welcoming speeches.

The programme of the event was full of informative presentations and discussions of current issues and trends in the role of alternative dispute resolution.

Thus, the first roundtable was dedicated to the development of judicial mediation in the European space and the role of supreme courts and high councils of justice in supporting the judicial practice of general jurisdiction courts.

The discussion was moderated by Paul Gilligan, a retired judge of the Irish Court of Appeal, former President of the Council of Judges of the European Union, mediator, former GEMME Vice President, GEMME (Ireland) member. The discussion was also attended by Natalie Fricero, University Professor, Ambassador of Amicable Settlement, GEMME (France); Zane Pētersone, Councillor of the Court of Cassation of Latvia (GEMME, Latvia); Benédicte Inghels, General Advocate of the Court of Cassation of Belgium and Research Fellow at the Catholic University of Louvain, GEMME (Belgium) member; Thomas Lyon Caen, President of the Association of Advocates of the State Council and the Court of Cassation; and Ugo Ferruta, Magistrate in Rome, GEMME (Italy) member.

The participants of the second roundtable discussed situations of abuse, the role of communication, negotiation, amicable settlement and restorative justice.

The discussion was moderated by Jacques Salzer, an academic, specialist in conflict resolution and mediation, member of GEMME (France), and featured the following speakers: Carme Guil, judge of the Barcelona Court of Appeal specialising in juvenile justice and restorative justice, President of GEMME Spain; Guillaume Barbe, lawyer and member of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence; Dr François Pontonnier, psychiatrist, National Negotiation Unit - Gendarmerie; and Linda Benrais, Professor of Private and Public Law at ESSEC Business School.

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the European Judges Group for Mediation (GEMME) elected new officers for the next term of office. Frédérique Agostini, a judge of the Cour de Cassation of France, became the new President. Vice presidents were also elected: Paul Gilligan from Ireland, Monika Wlodarczyk from Poland, Ugo Ferruta from Italy and Dragos Kalin from Romania.

The General Assembly made an important decision for our country: despite the fact that Ukraine is not a member of the EU, the Ukrainian National Section was granted the status of a partner of the European Judges Group for Mediation (GEMME). It is worth noting that this was preceded by a painstaking two-year work of the Ukrainian representative to GEMME, Alina Sergeyeva, and Ukrainian judges.

The Vice President of the Supreme Court, Oleksandr Mamalui, stressed the importance of this decision for Ukrainian judges in the context of Ukraine's integration into the EU and support for the further development and interaction of mediation with the courts.