23 June 2026
On 16–18 June 2026, a delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, headed by Constitutional Court Judge Viktor Gorodovenko and comprising Constitutional Court Judges Yurii Barabash, Viktor Kychun, Alla Oliinyk, Oleg Pervomayskyi, Petro Filiuk, and Galyna Yurovska, as well as representatives of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, participated in a series of working meetings with representatives of the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).
The events were organised as part of the Council of Europe’s Project “Further support for constitutional justice reforms in Ukraine” (hereinafter, the “Project”) with the aim of deepening professional dialogue between the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and European institutions, exchanging experience on the methodology for justifying decisions, and discussing further areas of institutional cooperation.
As part of the programme, the delegation held a working meeting with, Head of the Cooperation Programmes Division of the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law Giovanni Battista Celiento, Head of the Cooperation Programmes division Mariana Chicu, and a lawyer in the Department for the Execution of ECHR Judgments Khrystyna Fedunyshyn. The professional dialogue focused on the development of constitutional justice, the consolidation of the rule of law, the application of European standards for the protection of human rights, improving the quality of reasoning in decisions by constitutional review bodies, and the introduction of modern digital technologies.
During the meeting with the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe, Gianluca Esposito, discussions focused on further support for reforms in the field of constitutional justice, the strengthening of the protection of constitutional rights and freedoms, and the role of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in upholding the rule of law in the face of contemporary challenges.
In addition, an exchange of views took place with the Secretariat of the Venice Commission, with the participation of the Venice Commission’s legal advisers Martina Silvestri and Mamuka Longurashvili. The participants discussed the Venice Commission’s latest opinions on Ukraine, as well as the updated Rule of Law Checklist.
The delegation also took part in a seminar featuring British barrister and international consultant to the Council of Europe, Jeremy McBride, member of Monckton Chambers. The participants discussed European standards and best practices concerning the structure of legal acts, the sequence of reasoning, the quality of legal justification, and the formulation of legal positions in a manner that ensures clarity, persuasiveness, and practical applicability for law enforcement.
An important part of the programme was a working meeting between judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mattias Guyomar, as well as ECHR judges Mykola Gnatovskyy and Arturs Kučs. The parties exchanged views on current issues relating to the protection of human rights, the significance of the Court’s case-law for national legal systems, and the role of constitutional courts in ensuring the effective protection of fundamental rights and freedoms.
During a meeting with the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights, participants exchanged experiences on the use of digital and automated tools in the Court’s work. The event was attended by the Director of Filtering and Support Services, Deputy Registrar of the ECHR Klaudiusz Ryngielewicz, and the Head of IT Case Management and User Support, Gail Mitchell.
As part of the visit programme, a meeting of the Project Steering Committee was held, attended by Project Coordinator Octavian Sofransky, Project Manager Siuzanna Mnatsakanian, Head of the Cooperation Programmes Division of the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law Giovanni Battista Celiento, and Head of the Cooperation Programmes Division Mariana Chicu. During the meeting, the results of project implementation were summarised and further areas for cooperation were discussed.
These events provided an important platform for the exchange of practical experience, discussion of current challenges in the field of constitutional justice, and identification of further avenues of cooperation between the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Venice Commission.
