Bar reform cannot be introduced contrary to European standards — Ivan Hrechkivskyi

Advocacy
13:43 Tue 05.12.17 915 Reviews
Print

The Bar reform cannot be introduced contrary to European standards and by substituting the subject of legal profession representation.

This was mentioned by Ivan Hrechkivskyi, the Head of the International Relations Committee in his interview to Yurydychna Praktyka Newspaper.

“UNBA, as a representative of the Bar, is not opposed to the changes as such. But we are against the way they are trying to change our law. We are against the substitution of the concepts and the removal of UNBA from the decision-making on the future of the Bar. And this is not a whim, it is a fundamental principle of the independence of advocates, approved by the United Nations in 1990: if there is an independent association of advocates in the State, any further amendments to the law on the Bar shall be implemented with the participation of representatives of the legal profession”, — said Ivan Hrechkivskyi.

According to him, the submission of a draft law, approved without the participation of UNBA representatives, for the assessment by international experts of the Council of Europe also substitutes the international instruments for obtaining a full assessment of laws on compliance with the standards of law and democracy.

“There is also a substitution of concepts in the address to the Council of Europe experts. Its experts have only the right to determine whether the proposed changes comply with the minimum standards of independence of the Bar or not. Most likely, they meet the minimum standards. Another thing is that the standards laid down by the effective law are much higher than the minimum. However, the Council of Europe experts do not have the right to compare two documents, since it is an exclusive right of the Venice Commission, which, by the way, has highly assessed the current law twice”, — said the Head of the UNBA Committee.

Given the above, the UNBA, with the support of ССВЕ, will initiate a full assessment of the draft law by the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

“The CCBE and, in particular, the PECO committee members dealing with the problems of the Bars in the countries of Eastern Europe, do not understand the approaches taken by the Ukrainian authorities to solve the issues of the Bar, and, of course, they express their support not so much to us personally, but to the fundamental principles of independence of the Bar, which should be observed by civilized countries”, — said Ivan Hrechkivskyi.

Full text of the interview can be found by following this link.

Popular news

Another conflict with the TCC: an advocate's leg was broken and his client jumped out of a window

Advocacy

Another conflict with the TCC: an advocate's leg was broken and his client jumped out of a window

On June 19, at the premises of the military medical commission, where a bus from the Krasnograd Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support delivered several people, an incident occurred involving the use of physical force against an advocate.

13:34 Fri 20.06.25 133
Independence of advocacy and accountability of expertise: different models, shared responsibility

Advocacy

Independence of advocacy and accountability of expertise: different models, shared responsibility

Two different models of professional organization coexist in Ukraine: advocacy with established self-government and judicial and expert activities that remain under state control. How can approaches be balanced, the openness of expert opinions ensured, and effective interaction between specialists established?

18:02 Mon 16.06.25 100
The Bar Council of Ukraine appealed to the High Council of Justice due to delays in forming the Competition Commission of the HQCJ

Advocacy

The Bar Council of Ukraine appealed to the High Council of Justice due to delays in forming the Competition Commission of t…

On June 13, 2025, Lidiya Izovitova, President of the Bar Council of Ukraine, addressed Grigory Usik, Head of the High Council of Justice, regarding the violation of the deadlines for forming a new composition of the Competition Commission for the selection of members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.

17:29 Fri 13.06.25 137
UNBA calls for compliance with Council of Europe standards for the legal profession

Advocacy

UNBA calls for compliance with Council of Europe standards for the legal profession

The recently approved roadmap for EU accession in terms of bar reform refers to non-existent European standards and was adopted in violation of international principles. Therefore, before talking about changes, it is necessary to compare the current model of the bar with the Council of Europe standards embodied in the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer.

14:19 Fri 06.06.25 151
Mobilization of advocates in court: UNBA records another case of pressure

Advocacy

Mobilization of advocates in court: UNBA records another case of pressure

The Ukrainian advocacy has once again faced extrajudicial influence on advocates with the aim of obstructing the exercise of their legitimate powers related to the provision of professional legal assistance to clients.

16:35 Fri 30.05.25 232
BCU demands verification of authenticity of SSU letter on «dangerous» advocacy

Advocacy

BCU demands verification of authenticity of SSU letter on «dangerous» advocacy

The Bar Council of Ukraine will appeal to the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, regarding the verification of information about «negative trends in the legal profession» disseminated by some media outlets on behalf of the SSU.

17:34 Wed 14.05.25 173
Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate open for signature

Advocacy

Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate open for signature

Thirteen member states of the Council of Europe have signed the Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on March 12, 2025. Four more countries will do so today. Ukraine is not among them.

9:28 Wed 14.05.25 212
BCU initiates resolution of the issue of visits by advocates to convicted persons

Advocacy

BCU initiates resolution of the issue of visits by advocates to convicted persons

Article 110 of the Criminal Enforcement Code guarantees convicted persons confidentiality of meetings with their advocate. One of the important elements is the possibility to communicate with an advocate in a room without a solid partition. In practice, this provision of the law is systematically violated.

12:32 Wed 07.05.25 150

Надішліть файл із текстом публікації у форматі *.doc, фотографію за тематикою у розмірі 640х400 та Ваше фото.

Оберіть файл