Ukraine has signed the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer

Today, on 9 March, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe Mykola Tochytskyi signed the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer. This makes our country the 28th to sign this important international treaty.

The Ukrainian National Bar Association was informed of the signing by the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe. The information was also published on the official website of the Council of Europe in the chart of signatories and ratifications of the Convention.

It should be recalled that the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer was adopted by the Council of Europe at its meeting on 12 March 2025 and opened for signature on 13 May. The document establishes uniform approaches to guarantees for the independent exercise of the legal profession and provides for a mechanism to monitor the implementation of its provisions.

The need for its preparation was prompted by the growing number of reports of attacks on advocates, including in the form of harassment, threats, physical attacks or interference in the exercise of their professional duties. In 2022, the European Committee on Legal Cooperation established a Committee of Experts on the Protection of Lawyers (CJ-AV), which included 15 experts from across Europe, including Ukraine. One of the drafters of the Convention was Valentyn Gvozdiy, Vice President of the Ukrainian National Bar Association, Bar Council of Ukraine, who was also elected Vice President of CJ-AV.

The international treaty had already been signed by: Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Sweden, United Kingdom, and Slovenia.

In Ukraine, the formal procedure has been stalled by state authorities until recently. The Ministry of Justice recognised the importance of the international agreement but insisted on the need for a parallel process of amendments to national legislation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that it could not resolve this issue on its own, as the Prime Minister had instructed the Ministry of Justice to review the international treaty and submit proposals to the government.

The need for Ukraine to sign the Convention as a significant step towards strengthening guarantees of independent legal practice and the general standard of access to justice on the path to the EU was recently discussed by the President of the UNBA Lidiya Izovitova and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine, Representative of Ukraine to the European Union Vsevolod Chentsov.

The Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer will become part of national legislation after its ratification by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.