Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine took part in the II All-Ukrainian student competition on constitutional justice and a roundtable in Lviv

PRESS-SERVICE

of CONSTITUTIONAL COURT of UKRAINE

 

01033, Kyiv, Zhilyanska, 14

tel. 238-10-80, 238-11-38

fax. 287-36-16

 

 

Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine took part in the II All-Ukrainian student competition on constitutional justice and a roundtable in Lviv

 

On May 15, 2015 Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Mykola Melnyk, SerhiiSas, Ihor Slidenko, Petro Stetsiuk, Stanislav Shevchuk, Viktor Shyshkin took part as referees in the II All-Ukrainian student competition on constitutional justice organised by the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in co-operation with the Centre for constitutional initiatives and supported by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and International Renaissance Foundation.

The purpose of All-Ukrainian student competition on constitutional justice is to enhance students’ interest to study the constitutional law, research the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and raising awareness of the basic institutions of the constitutional law, the special role of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the legal system of Ukraine, and strengthening youth’ aspiration to legal values ​​of a democratic society.

Co-chairman of the organising committee, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Petro Stetsiuk welcomed the participants of the competition and expressed his support to the initiative of conducting a big event for young lawyers, stressing that today Ukraine requires a new generation of constitutionalists, because "we simply do not have the other future than the future of the constitutional state amid the European peoples. Obviously, the constitutional modern state is impossible without such an important institution as constitutional jurisdiction".

Dean of the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Andrii Boikothanked the Department of constitutional law, which had initiated the first All-Ukrainian student competition on constitutional justice last year and judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, who had supported the idea and willingly agreed to take part in the event.

Moderator of the event, Chairman of the Centre for constitutional initiatives, Associate Professor at the Department of constitutional law of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Serhii Riznyk said that according to the results of selection stage of the competition, attended by a team of leading law schools of Ukraine, 8 teams would compete in debates.

Performances of the students were evaluated by the jury consisted of Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Mykola Melnyk, Serhii Sas, Ihor Slidenko, Petro Stetsiuk,Stanislav Shevchuk, Viktor Shyshkin and Permanent Representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at the Constitutional Court of UkraineAnatolii Selivanov.

After the semi-final matches the teams "First Government" of the National University "Yaroslav the Wise Law Academy of Ukraine" and "Dominus Litis" of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv competed in the final debate. According to the results of the secret ballot the team "First government" won with score 4:3.

Head of the jury Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Shyshkin summed up the results, noted the high level of preparation and presentation of the teams and congratulated the winners.

Members of the II All-Ukrainian student competition on constitutional justice were handed in the diplomas; the finalists also won an internship at the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. In addition, at the invitation of the Chairman of the Constitutional Tribunal of theRepublic of Poland Andrzej Rzepliński the debate winners - the team "First government" of theNational University "Yaroslav the Wise Law Academy of Ukraine" will visit the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland to get acquainted with the work of Polish constitutionalists.

 On May 16, 2015 Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Mykola Melnyk, Candidate of Legal Sciences Serhii Sas, Doctor of Law, Associate Professor, Senior Researcher Ihor Slidenko, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor, Doctor of Law Petro Stetsiuk, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of UkraineStanislav Shevchuk and Candidate of Legal Sciences Viktor Shyshkin participated in the round table "Theoretical and practical problems of constitutional justice in Ukraine" held in Ivan FrankoNational University of Lviv.

The event was attended by the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Professor, Doctor of Law Dainius Žalimas, Permanent Representative of the VerkhovnaRada of Ukraine at the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Full Member of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Anatolii Selivanov, leading scholars in the field of law: Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Andrii Boiko, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Associate Professor Liubomyr Boryslavskyi, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Pavlo Hural, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Petro Rabinovych, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Yurii Voloshyn, Doctor of Legal Sciences, ProfessorOleh Marusliak, Doctor of Legal Sciences, Professor Vladyslav Fedorenko and others.

The meeting was opened by the Dean of the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Andrii Boiko. He noted that the theme of the round table brought together constitutionalists of the highest level as well as young lawyers, so the range of issues raised for discussion was rather wide, starting from the composition of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, specific powers of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the interpretation of the Basic Law of Ukraine to the problems of implementation of the constitutional complaint, etc.

Rector of the University, Professor Volodymyr Melnyk greeted the participants of the meeting. According to him, a round table was conditioned by the necessity of the discussion of theoretical and practical problems of constitutional justice in Ukraine, including its philosophy and ideology. "Obviously, the university environment is the most adaptive to it. Ivan Franko National University of Lviv could in future become a platform for discussions, where the most pressing and urgent problems in the branch of constitutional justice could be discussed", said the rector.

Co-chairman of the organising committee of the round table, Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Petro Stetsiuk stressed that it was not accidental to hold roundtable on constitutional justice at Lviv University which is famous for its legal traditions. "The works of renowned professor of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv Stanislav Dnistrianskyi were at the root of national doctrine of constitutional control, who in his constitutional draft (draft of the Constitution of West Ukrainian People's Republic) in 1920 provided for a special body of constitutional control", said the judge.

The presentation on "Ensuring the effectiveness of the Constitution: the role of the Constitutional Court" was made by the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Professor, Doctor of Law Dainius Žalimas. Lithuanian constitutionalist stressed that one of the priorities of the Constitutional Court is to demonstrate the potential of the Constitution, ensuring its dynamic interpretation. "It must be sufficiently flexible in order to meet modern challenges, to live according to the evolution of the state, creating an opportunity for change and stability while preserving the basic constitutional principles," saidDainius Žalimas. According to him, the most important experience of Lithuania for Ukraine is to enshrine in the Constitution the geopolitical course of the state which had chosen the way of European integration and intends to follow European and transatlantic values.

During the round table participants exchanged scientific and practical information on topical issues of constitutional justice, including the role and powers of the Constitutional Court in the context of the post-Soviet past and the European future, shared international experience in achieving practical results in the field of the supremacy of the Constitution, discussed a wide range of other issues related to reforms in the legal system of Ukraine, as well as ways to harmonise legislation with EU standards.