Supreme Court judge in the Commercial Cassation Court Valerii Kartere joins international professional training programme for judges

Judge of the Supreme Court in the Commercial Cassation Court Valerii Kartere participated in an international familiarization and training programme for judges at European institutions. The programme was organized as part of the educational project “Institutional Study Visit”.

The programme focused on the professional development of judges, familiarization with the activities of the European legal institutions of the Republic of Cyprus, the experience of judicial reform, the organization of the work of the highest judicial bodies, and the study of practices that could be useful for the further development of justice and the rule of law in Ukraine.

The programme participants visited the Supreme Court of Cyprus, the Supreme Constitutional Court of Cyprus, the Office of the Attorney General (Legal Service) of the Republic of Cyprus, the Cyprus Bar Association, and the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Cyprus.

During the meetings, members of the Ukrainian delegation learned about the results of the judicial reform carried out in Cyprus in 2023, in particular the division of powers between the Supreme Court, the Supreme Constitutional Court, and the appellate instance. This reform aims to strengthen court specialization and increase the efficiency of justice administration. They also discussed approaches to ensuring the uniformity of case law, the organization of cassation review, and court workload management.

Special attention was given to issues of judicial governance, the functioning of constitutional jurisdiction bodies, state representation in court proceedings, and the role of the bar in ensuring effective justice. Participants of the training programme exchanged experience on professional ethics, disciplinary procedures, digitalization of court proceedings, and modern approaches to the organization of legal institutions.

Following the study visit, Valerii Kartere noted the practical value of the Cypriot experience for the further development of the Ukrainian judicial system, particularly regarding functional specialization of courts, the use of procedural filters, improvement of judicial governance, and ensuring uniformity of judicial practice. In addition, the visit laid the groundwork for further professional cooperation with the legal institutions of the Republic of Cyprus and the exchange of experience in the field of commercial justice, digitalization of justice, and the development of the rule of law.

The educational project “Institutional Study Visit” has been implemented by the Faculty of Law of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv since 2016. Its goal is to familiarize Ukrainian legal professionals with the legal systems of other countries and the activities of international institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, the UN, and NATO.