Supreme Court judge of the Administrative Cassation Court took part in events organised by the Association of Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union (ACA-Europe)

Supreme Court judge of the Administrative Cassation Court Olesia Radyshevska took part in the seminar ‘New trends in the organisation and functioning of public administration and administrative justice’ and the meeting of the ACA-Europe General Assembly. The events, organised by the Council of State of Greece and the Association of Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Jurisdictions of the European Union (ACA-Europe), took place in Rhodes (Hellenic Republic).

The event was attended by representatives of international and national institutions in the field of administrative justice from Member States and candidate countries for accession to the European Union, including Ukraine, as well as the United Kingdom and the Republic of Turkey. It should be noted that in May 2025, the Supreme Court was officially admitted to ACA-Europe as an observer.

During the visit, Olesia Radyshevska took part in plenary and working sessions, expert discussions, as well as in the events of the ACA-Europe General Assembly, the programme of which included an in-depth analysis of the current state of administrative courts and the challenges faced in the formation and operation of public administration bodies in Europe. In particular, the speaker prepared responses to a thematic questionnaire on Ukraine.

The President of ACA-Europe and President of the Council of State of Greece, Michail Pikramenos, delivered a welcoming address at the opening of the two-day seminar. In his speech, he outlined the key challenges currently facing public administration bodies and administrative courts in Europe.

The first session of the event, on the topic of ‘Alternative Methods of Resolving Administrative Disputes’, was moderated by Lord Nicholas Hamblen, a judge of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The discussion focused on the implementation of mediation tools and mandatory pre-litigation appeals against decisions by public authorities. The speakers noted that the effective use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods could significantly reduce the workload of administrative courts, shorten case processing times and increase public confidence in the public administration system. At the same time, the participants emphasised the importance of preserving the rule of law during out-of-court dispute resolution. As part of the exchange of national experiences, Olesia Radyshevska delivered a presentation on the topic ‘Alternative methods of resolving administrative disputes in Ukraine: from administrative appeals to mediation and conciliation’.

The role of moderator for the second session, ‘New Models of Organisation and Functioning of Public Administration Bodies’, was performed by the Vice President of the Supreme Court of Spain, Dimitry Teodoro Berberoff Ayuda. Participants discussed structural changes in public administration in the context of globalisation, digitalisation and new crisis-related challenges. Speakers analysed the direction of administrative reforms in various European countries, emphasising the importance of flexibility in management decisions without compromising their legal certainty and transparency. Attention was also drawn to the limits of judicial review over the discretionary powers of public administration bodies.

At the conclusion of the seminar, French State Councillor Yves Gounin summarised the proceedings, outlining key ideas regarding the balance between the effectiveness of public governance and administration and judicial review.

At the ACA-Europe General Assembly meeting, in particular, the issue of multilateral support for Ukraine was addressed. Another landmark event was the unanimous adoption of a resolution on the accession of the European Court of Human Rights to the Association as a guest member. Addressing those present, Ioannis Ktistakis, a judge at the ECHR from Greece, emphasised the importance of European judicial dialogue. He noted the fundamental role of supreme administrative courts in the effective protection of fundamental rights, and also emphasised the need to deepen mutual understanding between national judicial systems and the Convention-based protection system.

The exchange of experience with European judges, as well as the ECHR’s historic accession to the work of the ACA-Europe Association, open up new prospects for strengthening institutional dialogue and improving mechanisms for the protection of human rights in Ukrainian administrative justice.