Enhanced social protection in Ukraine: President of the Administrative Cassation Court of the Supreme Court takes part in the closing event of the Council of Europe project

Mykhailo Smokovych, President of the Administrative Cassation Court of the Supreme Court, participated in the closing ceremony of the Council of Europe project 'Enhanced Social Protection in Ukraine'. The purpose of the event was to present the results achieved during the two years of the project and to confirm the partners' intention to continue cooperation with the Council of Europe in the field of social and labour rights protection within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Rebuilding" for 2023-2026.

In his welcoming speech, Mykhailo Smokovych noted that the constitutional right of every person to judicial protection cannot be restricted. This right is guaranteed by the state in today's difficult realities. Despite the aggression of the Russian Federation, the courts are doing everything to ensure that the right to judicial protection in Ukraine is guaranteed at the appropriate level.

The President of the SC ACC noted that the lion's share of disputes concerning the protection of social rights fall within the jurisdiction of the administrative courts. According to the speaker, there are a lot of social disputes and they are the biggest part of the workload of administrative courts. According to Mr Smokovych, during the period of martial law alone, the Administrative Cassation Court of the Supreme Court received more than 17,000 cases involving social disputes.

Mykhailo Smokovych concluded by thanking the Council of Europe's 'Enhanced Social Protection in Ukraine' project for its comprehensive support in difficult times for Ukraine and expressed hope for its continued work. Due to martial law, a large part of the Ukrainian population is in need of enhanced social protection, so the project is very important.

During the event, participants discussed the following issues: support for social rights reforms in Ukraine in 2023-2024; labour reforms and social dialogue in Ukraine; and promotion of social rights in line with the European Social Charter.

Photo courtesy of the organisers.