Ukraine’s reforms the focus of high-level Council of Europe meeting
As a continuation of the Day
of Ukrainian Reforms, Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko met today in
Strasbourg with the Secretary General
of the Council
of Europe to discuss the
co-operation between the organization and Ukraine, and
to sign on
behalf of Ukraine the European
Agreement on the Transmission of Applications for Legal Aid.
The Agreement is designed
to eliminate economic obstacles to proceedings and to permit
persons in an economically weak position more
easily to exercise their rights. It provides
that persons having their habitual
residence in the territory of
a state-Party to this Agreement may apply
for legal aid in civil,
commercial or administrative matters in the territory
of another state-Party.
Ukraine became the 33rd member of the
Council of Europe to have
signed this Agreement. Twelve states (Andorra, Armenia, Croatia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, the Russian
Federation, San-Marino, Slovakia
and Slovenia) have neither signed
nor ratified it. Germany and
Iceland have signed the Agreement
in 1999 and 2000, respectively, but its ratification in these countries
is still pending.
The Day of Ukrainian
Reforms in the Council of
Europe has been organized by the Permanent
Representation of Ukraine, in cooperation
with the Council of Europe
and Estonian Chairmanship of the Committee of
Ministers. The first part of
the event that took place
on 3 October 2016, focused on the
implementation of the 2015-2017 Council of Europe Action
Plan for Ukraine.
Gabriella
Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary
General of the Council of
Europe, in her opening speech identified important steps taken by Ukraine,
including the adoption of the
constitutional amendments and other laws
relating to the judiciary, making operational the newly-created institutions to prevent and prosecute
corruption, completing the reform of
a new National Police. More determination
is required on decentralization, fighting corruption, transforming the Prosecutor General’s Office and ensuring stronger
guarantees for the safety and
protection of journalists, she said.
Pavlo Klimkin, Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Ukraine, updated the event
participants on the progress of
reforms, stressed the need to
mobilize additional support for the
implementation of the Action plan
and pledged continued commitment to co-operation with the Council
of Europe.
Katrin Kivi, Permanent Representative of Estonia, Chairperson of the Ministers'
Deputies who spoke on behalf
of the Committee
of Ministers, underlined the importance of further
support by the Council of
Europe’s member States to building
a democratic society in Ukraine.
Council of
Europe: http://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/ukrainian-foreign-minister-to-discuss-country-s-reforms-at-the-council-of-europe-on-monday