20 October, 2025

 

Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Viktor Gorodovenko, Oleg Pervomayskyi, and Deputy Head of the Legal Department – Head of the Comparative Legal Analysis Division of the Court Secretariat, SCN Focal Point in respect of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oksana Zhytnyk on 15 October this year took part in an expert round table dedicated to the implementation of general measures in the group of cases “Oleksandr Volkov v. Ukraine”.

The event, organised by the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights within the framework of the project “Support to Ukraine in implementation of the Council of Europe standards on the judiciary”, brought together a wide range of participants, including representatives of the Council of Europe, the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), national authorities, judges of the judicial system, and experts.

It provided a platform for discussing the initial results of an expert study on the measures taken by national authorities in relation to the execution of ECHR judgments in the group of cases “Oleksandr Volkov v. Ukraine” and an analysis of the judicial reforms carried out in Ukraine since 2013.

Participants examined in detail issues such as strategic planning in the field of judicial reform in the context of Ukraine's accession to the European Union; the composition of the High Council of Justice and the election of its members; the functioning of the new institutional system of disciplinary responsibility; disciplinary practices regarding judges, taking into account compliance with Council of Europe standards and the role of judicial records in a judge's career.

During the panel discussion “Guarantees of the inviolability of judges' terms of office and their irremovability in practice,” Judge Viktor Gorodovenko focused on the main aspects of the principle of irremovability of judges as a component of the guarantee of their independence.

The judge emphasised that “the issues of the independence of the judiciary and the irremovability of judges remain the focus of attention of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine as one of the important components of the principle of the rule of law and ensuring the development of a democratic state, even in the face of such complex challenges as war.”

Judge Oleg Pervomayskyi focused on the peculiarities of the principle of the irremovability of judges as a component of the rule of law, which ensures the independence of judges and guarantees the stability of the judicial system. He also drew attention to the relationship between the branches of government in these areas, emphasising the importance of finding a model for interaction between the High Council of Justice and the Supreme Court.

The participants discussed the issues in detail and identified measures to be taken to execution the ECHR judgment.