Seminars on adversarial proceedings are organised for Ukrainian judiciary

The concept and practical aspects of the adversarial principle in criminal proceedings were discussed in the course of a seminar held for judges of the general courts of Ukraine on 17-18 September in Simferopol. The event was conducted by the Council of Europe Project “Support to the Criminal Justice Reform”, funded by the Government of Denmark in cooperation with the National School of Judges of Ukraine and the Center for Juridical Studies and was hosted by the Crimea Court of Appeal. The seminar gathered Council of Europe consultants and 50 representatives of the Ukrainian judiciary from Southern and Eastern regions of the country. Agenda.

The change from the inquisitorial to the adversarial model of criminal procedure as well as practical realisation of the principle of equality of arms are just two of many important changes brought in by the new Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Hence, the aim of the abovementioned seminars was to enable participants to expand their knowledge on the European standards with regard to the application of the adversarial principle at different stages of criminal proceedings. Particular emphasis was made on implementation of the provisions of the new Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine in the light of the ECtHR case law. Furthermore, the seminars offered an opportunity for participants to exchange views with Council of Europe international and national consultants and with representatives of the high Specialized Court of Ukraine for Civil and Criminal Cases on specific challenges, interpretation and application of procedural novelties.

Two more seminars on adversarial proceedings were held for 90 judges of appellate and first-instance courts of Ukraine in June 2013.