Olha Stefanishyna: Compliance with European standards in the field of justice, freedom and security is a priority for Ukraine

The second day of the EU-Ukraine bilateral meeting within the framework of the screening of Ukrainian legislation for compliance with EU law under Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security has started in Brussels, Belgium, and will last until 25 October.

The Head of the Ukrainian delegation, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, in her speech stressed the importance of discussing the issues related to the negotiated Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security, as they would determine the entire course of further negotiations between Ukraine and the EU and are the foundation for ensuring fundamental human rights and freedoms.

“This meeting is an important element of our cooperation with the European Union, especially in the context of human rights protection. This is of utmost importance for Ukraine, which remains a functioning democracy even in times of war,” said Olha Stefanishyna.

She also emphasised the importance of having representatives of law enforcement agencies and the Border Guard Service at the meeting. “This will allow us to discuss such important issues as compliance with European standards in times of war, as well as migration policy, the fight against organised crime and integrated border management,” she added.

Olha Stefanishyna also confirmed Ukraine’s acceptance of the acquis, which was part of the screening process, with the reservation that some elements would be implemented taking into account the military aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine.

As a reminder, all meetings are held in a hybrid format. More than 300 people are participating from Ukraine in offline and online formats. The head of the delegation and chief negotiator, Olha Stefanishyna, is participating in the meetings online.

Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security is part of Cluster 1, Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process, and covers a wide range of issues related to the movement of people and migration. Ukrainian negotiators will present to the European partners the state of approximation of the national legislative and institutional framework to the relevant European norms and standards. Key areas of focus:

• Fighting organised crime;
• Cooperation in combating drug trafficking;
• Counter-terrorism and prevention of radicalisation;
• Law enforcement cooperation and information exchange;
• Border management;
• Asylum;
• Migration;
• Visa policy;
• Judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, as well as criminal cases;
• Measures taken to combat corruption in the justice and internal affairs sectors.

Background

During bilateral meetings as part of the official screening process, the European Commission and the candidate country thoroughly compare the candidate country’s legislation, strategic framework, institutional structures and administrative capacities with EU standards. This is the basis for developing recommendations to the European Commission in each area of the negotiation process.

Based on the results of the screening, the European Commission will prepare a report on the compliance of Ukrainian legislation with EU law for each negotiation cluster. This document will finally determine the level of compliance and the further scope of work.