Supreme Court representatives joined the 18th German-Ukrainian Colloquium on Administrative Judicial Procedure

Supreme Court Judge in the Administrative Cassation Court Andrii Zahorodniuk and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Supreme Court - Head of the Secretariat of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court Nataliia Bohdaniuk took part in the 18th German-Ukrainian Colloquium on Administrative Litigation, which was held at the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland- Pfalz in Koblenz (Germany).

The visit was organised by the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ) in partnership with the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Pfalz in the framework of cooperation with the Administrative Cassation Court of the Supreme Court.

The colloquium in Koblenz was held as a German-Ukrainian professional exchange to better acquaint Ukrainian judges with the practice of German administrative jurisdiction by attending court hearings and communicating with judges.

During the colloquium at the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Pfalz, the participants discussed the application of disciplinary law, the impact of constitutional law on the interpretation and application of vague legal concepts (using the examples of legal provisions on school education), the application of asylum law, assembly law, winemaking, openness in judicial practice, as well as issues related to IT in the judge's workplace, challenges and experience in implementing e-filing, the composition and tasks of certain representative bodies of judges (the Council of Judges, the Council of Court Presidents and the Council of the Presidium of Courts), and other issues.

During the colloquium, the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Pfalz hosted a welcome meeting with Dr Lars Brocker, President of the Constitutional Court and the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Pfalz, and Johannes Goebel, Judge of the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Pfalz, Wolfram Hertig, Senior Project Manager at the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), and later with Angela Schmeink, Projects Manager for Ukraine and Vietnam at the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ).

In accordance with the programme of the event, the Ukrainian delegation visited the Administrative Court of Mainz, got acquainted with the work of this court, and took part in a court hearing. In Mainz, the delegation also visited the Parliament of the Federal State of Rhineland-Pfalz. After a welcoming speech by the President of the Land Parliament, Hendrik Göring, the delegation made an entry in the book of honour of the Land Parliament and took part in an expert discussion on the topic ‘The Land Parliament as a party to administrative courts and the Constitutional Court - distinguishing between administrative and constitutional procedural disputes’.

During the colloquium, a separate lecture was also devoted to the Ukrainian administrative court procedure, its challenges and peculiarities of functioning in the current environment.