Ukraine has a real chance of becoming the first member state of the Council of Europe to ratify the new, historic Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession; the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is already awaiting the document.
This was discussed on August 18 during a roundtable at the National Bar Association of Ukraine, which brought together representatives of the legal profession, the government, parliament, and the Council of Europe, according to our correspondent.
Lydia Izovitova, Chair of the National Bar Association of Ukraine, emphasized that Ukraine actively participated in drafting the Convention and, following the President’s decision, became the 28th signatory state. All key stages have now been completed: amendments to the legislation have been prepared, and an official translation has been completed.
“We have moved on to the next step: ratification. And today, it is of fundamental importance that the path we have already traveled does not end in another period of waiting,” she stated.
The signing of the Convention was a deliberate decision by the country’s leadership, emphasized Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe. According to him, the implementation of these standards has a clear political dimension and confirms Ukraine’s movement toward the EU.
“We now have the opportunity to be, in principle, among the first to ratify… This once again underscores our commitment to operating within the legal framework of the European Union member states,” the diplomat noted.
According to our correspondent, members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy confirmed the parliament’s full readiness. MP Maksym Dyrdin reported that the parliament is expected to register its draft law on the implementation of the Convention’s provisions in the near future.
His colleague Mykola Stefanchuk added:
“The Ukrainian parliament is awaiting this ratification… As soon as all the necessary technical issues are finalized, I think you will definitely see more than 226 votes on the scoreboard—significantly more.”
Separately, Volodymyr Vatrás, Chair of the Subcommittee on the Organization and Activities of the Bar, noted the constructive stance of the Ministry of Justice’s new leadership:
“Today we already have a Minister of Justice who understands Parliament, who understands the ideas of the Committee on Legal Policy, and who understands the role of the bar within the Ukrainian justice system as a fundamental institution.”
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