Supreme Court President meets with Member of the European Parliament

The Supreme Court is involved in the process of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union and is fully open to dialogue that will help the European community understand the conditions and peculiarities of the national judicial system and the challenges it faces.

This was emphasised by President of the Supreme Court Stanislav Kravchenko during a meeting with Dainius Žalimas, Member of the European Parliament from the Republic of Lithuania, to discuss issues related to ensuring accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, strengthening the rule of law in Ukraine and supporting its integration into the EU.

The President of the Supreme Court expressed gratitude to the Government and people of the Republic of Lithuania for their reliable support, and personally to Dainius Žalimas for his active participation in the reform process in Ukraine and volunteer assistance.

Stanislav Kravchenko also informed about the peculiarities of organising the work of courts in the context of war, taking into account the need to strike a balance between ensuring the safety of participants in proceedings and the need for continuous judicial proceedings. In this context, the meeting participants discussed the possibility of considering cases remotely and in written proceedings.

Dainius Žalimas stressed that the European community should be aware of the real state of affairs in Ukraine in the context of European integration processes, and all available opportunities should be used to disseminate such information. The MEP expressed his readiness to promote initiatives aimed at developing the rule of law in Ukraine and strengthening the independence of the judiciary, and to provide the necessary expert support in this process.

Polina Kazakevych, advisor to the MEP, noted the work of the Supreme Court in providing translation and analysis of the case law of the EU Court of Justice and thanked the Supreme Court for its leadership in this matter. According to Polina Kazakevych, this will obviously contribute to the fact that national courts will apply Ukrainian legislation in line with European approaches and rules.

Supreme Court Judge at the Criminal Cassation Court Oleksandra Yanovska outlined some issues of gender policy in the judiciary, in particular in the Supreme Court, and drew attention to the progress of national courts in terms of the duration of court proceedings.

In addition, the participants discussed the problem of court staffing and the practice of applying the in absentia procedure, including the relevant experience of Lithuania.

The meeting was also attended by Vytautas Kukarskas, Assistant to the MEP, Nataliia Bilyk, Secretary of the Second Judicial Chamber of the SC CrimCC, Volodymyr Korol, Judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, Rasim Babanly, First Deputy Chief of Staff - Head of the Department for Analytical and Legal Work of the Supreme Court, and Lina Hubar, Head of the Division for International Cooperation.