Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Horodovenko participated in the working meeting of the Consultative Council of European Judges
On June 13-15, 2018 Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Horodovenko took part in the 35th working meeting of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) in Porto (Portuguese Republic).
The main topics for discussion were corruption prevention among judges and strengthening judicial integrity as the fundamental principle of the rule of law and fundamental values of the Council of Europe.
During the meeting of the Consultative Council of European Judge, the working group worked on the draft Opinion № 21 on corruption prevention among judges. The draft Opinion should be adopted at the plenary meeting of the CCJE, to be held in Zagreb on November 7-9, 2018.
The document includes recommendations based on the concept of the integrity of judges and corruption prevention. The Opinion states that corruption among judges is one of the main threats to society and the functioning of a democratic state. It also provides for personal responsibility of judges for combating corruption and responsibility for overseeing judges behaviour.
The issue of judicial virtue also remains topical. The working group concluded that the best judicial system is a system that demonstrates a high degree of independence and impartiality and enjoys strong public confidence.
Representative of the Consultative Council of European Judges from Ukraine Viktor Horovenko informed the members of the working group about the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the Law of Ukraine "On the Higher Anti-Corruption Court", which entered into force on June 14, 2018. He also highlighted the experience of the bodies of judicial self-government of Ukraine on corruption prevention and national mechanisms of its counteraction.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of Republic of Austria, Principality of Andorra, Republic of Croatia, Georgia, Federal Republic of Germany, Italian Republic, Ireland, Netherlands, Kingdom of Norway, Portuguese Republic, Republic of Slovenia, Ukraine, Kingdom of Sweden and Swiss Confederation.
For reference. The Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) is an advisory body set up by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to promote the independence, impartiality and professionalism of judges. The CCJE emphasises the important role of an independent and efficient judiciary as one of the branches of state power in a democratic society. By this time, the CCJE has prepared and adopted twenty Opinions, which take into account not only the features of existing national judicial systems and best European practices, but also proposals for improving the status of judges and improving access to justice for citizens. The first CCJE opinion was adopted in 2001, and is devoted to the standards of the independence of the judiciary and the immutability of judges. The opinions of the CCJE are used in the preparation of national legal acts, as well as tools in the administration of justice, and is a benchmark for judges and judicial commissions.
