Working visit of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine delegation
to the Council of Europe
The delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, composed of judges 
Viktor Horodovenko, Ihor Slidenko, Oleksandr Tupytskyi and Stanislav Shevchuk participated in a series of working meetings with representatives of European Committee of Social Rights and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg. The delegation also took part in solemn hearing on the occasion of opening of the judicial year at the ECHR. The visit was organised with 
assistance of Special Advisor to Council of Europe's Secretary General for Ukraine Regis Brillat.
In the framework of the visit a meeting was held with the Director General of the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law Christos Giakoumopoulos during which the parties discussed development of the rule of law, reformation of legal system and strengthening of independence of judiciary. Interlocutors agreed to hold regular professional meetings in 
Strasbourg and Kyiv on interpretation of human rights norms in the context of the established ECHR case-law.
During the working meeting with Thomas Markert, Secretary of the European Commission for Democracy through Law, cooperation between the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Venice Commission was touched upon. Thomas Markert pointed out the positive changes which are taking place in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and raised a number of questions related to the course of judicial reform in Ukraine.
Giuseppe Palmisano, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, opened the plenary session of the Committee, attended by representatives of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on International Relations Stanislav Shevchuk delivered a report on behalf of the delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine regarding the constitutional social rights and responded to the numerous questions of the members of the European Committee of Social Rights. At the end of the meeting, there was an exchange of views on the application of social rights at the national level, in particular the rights to social benefits arising from a large number of individual appeals to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. Interpretation by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of international standards and international case-law, in particular the European 
Social Charter and the European Convention on Human Rights, were also discussed.
In addition, a joint working meeting of the delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Supreme Court headed by Valentyna Danyshevska, with Guido Raimondi, President of the European Court of Human Rights, Judge of the ECHR in respect of Ukraine, Ganna Yudkivska and ECHR Secretariat's Director Roderick Liddell, took place. The President of the ECHR, in particular, was interested in the dialogue, interaction and implementation of Protocol No. 16 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Within the framework of the visit, judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine participated in the seminar "The Authority of the Judiciary" dedicated to the opening of judicial year at the ECHR. Opening the event, the ECHR President Guido Raimondi welcomed the participants and wished fruitful work to all of them. Judge of the ECHR Paul Lemmens also addressed the audience with introductory words.
The seminar consisted of the two meetings "Challenges to the authority of the judiciary" and "Responses to the challenges". During the seminar, reports were presented by Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, Judge of the ECHR, Faris Vehabović, Vice-President of the Constitutional Court of Italy Marta Cartabia, representative of the Court of Cassation of the French Republic, Bruno Pireyre, Judge of 
the ECHR Judge Pere Pastor Vilanova, Judge of the ECHR Pauline Koskelo, Judge of the Federal Administrative Tribunal of Swiss Confederation Martin Kayser, Judge of Supreme Court of Cassation of the Republic of Serbia, Radmila Dragičević-Dičić, Judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia Dace Mita.
At the end of the seminar, a solemn meeting on the occasion of opening of the judicial year was held. The President of the ECHR, Guido Raimondi, addressed the audience with a welcome speech. The President of the European Court of Justice, Koen Lenaerts also welcomed the participants of the event and presented the report on "The ECHR and the CJEU: Creating Synergies in the Field of Fundamental Rights Protection."
