Ukrainian administrative judges resolve to use Austrian practices for promoting judicial integrity, at OSCE-supported conference

KYIV, 28 September 2017 – Ukrainian administrative judges agreed in Kyiv today to strengthen co-operation with their Austrian counterparts during an OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine-supported conference gathering more than 100 legal experts from the two countries.

The Austrian Embassy to Ukraine, the European Association of Administrative Judges, the Austrian Association of Administrative Judges and the All-Ukrainian Association of Administrative Judges organized the event, where judges from Ukraine and Austria, 2017 OSCE Chairmanship,  exchanged experiences.

“Using European practices of judicial review as a guide is an important way to support judicial reform in Ukraine,” said Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “By considering legal experience and case law from Austria and other OSCE participating States, judges can use existing standards and precedents to make decisions, increasing judicial integrity and improving trust in the judiciary.”

Ukrainian judges said they were particularly interested in the Austrian model of judicial integrity, given that the judicial integrity is a cornerstone for judicial reform in Ukraine.

The presentations concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Austrian Association of Administrative Judges and All-Ukrainian Association of Administrative Judges.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine has supported the development of administrative justice in Ukraine since 2005, including helping with the elaboration of the Code of Administrative Court Procedure and training judges to effectively apply the code.