Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Horodovenko presented the key points of the Opinion of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) on the role of the associations of judges in supporting the judicial independence
On December 18, 2020 Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the Representative of Ukraine in the Consultative Council of European Judges Viktor Horodovenko participated in an online round table “Presentation of the Report upon the Results of the Study ”Attitude of Ukrainian Citizens to the Judicial System” and Opinion No. 23 on the role of the associations of judges in supporting the judicial independence.
The event was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, the High Anti-Corruption Court, courts of first and appellate instances, as well as representatives of public authorities, judicial associations, civil society, international organizations and the Council of Europe.
The Chairwoman of the Supreme Court Valentyna Danishevska, the Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine Olena Lytvynenko, Projects Co-ordinator, Justice and Legal Cooperation Department of the Council of Europe Andrii Kavakin and the Director General of the Ukrainian Centre for Economic & Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov Pavlo Penzenyk welcomed the audience.
Speaking during the round table, Viktor Horodovenko was pleased to note that traditionally Ukraine is one of the first to receive the opinions of the CCJE. In this context, he thanked the international and national experts, in particular the representatives of Justice and Legal Cooperation Department of the Council of Europe and the Office of the Council of Europe in Ukraine.
“European values and values formulated by the Consultative Council of European Judges are becoming achievements and guidelines for Ukrainian judges and lawyers,” stressed the Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
Viktor Horodovenko informed the participants in detail about the key points of the Opinion. According to him, this document was prepared on the basis of the answers provided by the member states. The Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine noted that the CCJE Opinion defines the term “association of judges”, according to which the associations of judges are self-governing non-profit organizations with or without legal personality, and such associations include those who voluntarily apply for membership.
The main objectives of the associations of judges are to establish and protect the independence of the judicial system, as well as to strengthen and improve the rule of law. At the same time, Viktor Horodovenko stressed the importance of joint coordinated work to support the independence of the judicial system and the implementation of the rule of law.
“Associations of judges can also facilitate meetings with representatives of civil society, other branches of state power and the media, that will have the opportunity to express their expectations from the judicial system and the administration of justice in general,” the Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine pointed out.
During the round table the participants focused on the implementation of Council of Europe standards in the field of justice. The results of a sociological survey on the attitude of Ukrainian citizens to the judicial system and the role of the associations of judges in supporting the judicial independence were also discussed.
The event was organised by the Ukrainian Centre for Economic & Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov, the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine and the Supreme Court.
