Meeting of the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Stanislav Shevchuk with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Marius Janukonis
28.02.2018
On February 27, 2018 the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Stanislav Shevchuk held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Marius Janukonis.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine Gvidas Kerušauskas and the management of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
During the meeting, parties discussed topical issues of cooperation between the Constitutional Courts of the Republic of Lithuania and Ukraine, in particular within the framework of the Association of Constitutional Justice of the Countries of the Baltic and Black Sea Regions (BBCJ), which purposes are to strengthen the independence of the constitutional courts of the region, to promote the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, to guarantee democratic principles and values, to ensure and implement the principles of the rule of law, and to increase exchange of information on best legal practices in the field of constitutional law.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Marius Janukonis noted the importance of regional form of cooperation as the BBCJ and emphasised the need for its enlargement. He stressed that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine became a reliable partner in protecting the principles that underpin BBCJ. „It is important for constitutional jurisdiction bodies to be strong and independent under conditions of the existence of a large number of external threats“, mentioned Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine.
The Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Stanislav Shevchuk pointed out that the Republic of Lithuania and Ukraine had had friendly and warm relations at all historical periods, and this tradition should be continued. He also noted that within the framework of the Forum of Constitutional Courts of Georgia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in October 2017, a meeting with the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė was held. Stanislav Shevchuk stressed, „Our priority is to establish a European Constitutional Court, which will be the center of legal thought“.
Ambassador Janukonis noted that cooperation with the Constitutional Court of Ukraine could be carried out through numerous projects, supported by the European Union, in particular, „Support to Justice Sector Reforms in Ukraine“, which is aimed at consolidating general European reforms in the field of justice. He suggested to organise a meeting with the project management in the nearest future.
The Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine informed the guests about the latest changes that took place in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. In particular, on February 22, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine approved the Rules of Procedure of the Court – a procedural document which determines organisation of internal work of the Court and relevant rules and procedures regulating consideration of cases by the Court. „The most important thing is that the adoption of the Rules of Procedure launches a mechanism for considering constitutional complaints introduced by the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine“, the Chairman underlined.
At the end of the meeting, the Lithuanian guests raised a number of questions concerning the activities of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the changes that took place in it, as well as cases under consideration by the Court.
Taking this opportunity, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine Marius Janukonis congratulated Stanislav Shevchuk on his election as the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and wished him fruitful work in a responsible post. Mr. Ambassador also conveyed congratulations from the President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, Dainius Žalimas, and assured of his readiness to provide the necessary assistance to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
Parties thanked each other for warm meeting and expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation. The guests were suggested a tour around the premises of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, during which they attended courtrooms of the Grand Chamber, Senate, press center and the Court’s museum exposition.
