The Verkhovna Rada discussed the next steps for ratifying the Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on legal policy held a working meeting to prepare for the ratification of the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer. The meeting was attended by members of parliament, representatives of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian National Bar Association.

The meeting took place on May 13 — exactly one year after the international treaty was opened for signature in Luxembourg. As a reminder, Ukraine signed the document on March 9 of this year and became the 28th signatory state to the Convention.

Opening the meeting, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the organization and activities of the advocacy Volodymyr Vatras noted that the signing of the Convention was the result of joint efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on legal policy and the UNBA, whose representative (Vice President Valentyn Gvozdiy) was directly involved in drafting the Convention.

According to the MP, the next task is to launch the ratification process and determine the sequence of further actions. V. Vatras noted that delaying ratification could affect Ukraine’s ability to participate in the formation of the Expert Group on the Protection of the advocate profession — a body that, in accordance with the Convention, will monitor compliance with its provisions.

Vice President of the UNBA, BCU Oleksiy Kukhar provided an update on the current status of ratification processes in Europe. He reported that, according to the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, 29 states have signed the Convention, but none of the signatory states has yet submitted a bill for its ratification to their respective parliaments. The representative of the Bar Association explained that this is due to standard procedural deadlines for preparation, and for EU member states — also to the need for the EU Council to adopt a decision on signing and approving the Convention on behalf of the Union. Separately, the representative of the UNBA noted that the Convention will enter into force three months after the deposit of eight instruments of ratification, at least six of which must be from Council of Europe member states. Therefore, it is premature to predict a specific date for its entry into force.

Chairman of the Subcommittee on political reform and constitutional law Maksym Dyrdin emphasized that Ukraine must move toward ratifying the Convention as early as 2026. He also expressed the view that ratification should not be linked to the broader work on the draft law on advocacy, since, in his opinion, these are two distinct areas: the Convention is primarily aimed at protecting the profession of advocate.

Director of the Directorate for legal policy at the Office of the President Viktor Dubovyk noted that steps by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice are required for the further ratification process. He announced the Office of the President’s readiness to participate in further work on the issue.

Deputy Minister of Justice Lyudmyla Kravchenko reported that a working group has been established within the Ministry of Justice and that the Ministry is ready to work on the provisions that require implementation into Ukrainian law. She also noted that, under national law, the Convention must be submitted for ratification simultaneously with the implementing law.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Karasevych reported that after the Convention was signed, the Ministry prepared an official translation and forwarded it to the Ministry of Justice for further work. According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to join the next stage, when a package of documents for ratification is prepared.

During the discussion, the issue of translating the key term «lawyer», as used in the Convention, was also raised. The meeting participants agreed that in the Ukrainian legal context, the term refers specifically to an «advocate» (advokat), rather than the broader concepts of «lawyer» or «legal professional». At the same time, the issue of extending the Convention’s guarantees to individuals representing Ukraine, its citizens, or other persons in international courts and other international institutions was discussed separately.

The Head of the UNBA Secretariat Vadym Krasnyk noted that the advocacy association has already submitted its proposals for legislative amendments and that advocates are interested in further working on them within a separate expedited process. He also pointed out that the processes of ratification and the entry into force of implementing regulations could be coordinated before the drafts are submitted to parliament.

During the meeting, members of parliament emphasized the need to act promptly. In particular, Mykola Stefanchuk noted that there are only a limited number of plenary sessions remaining until the end of the year, so participants in the process need to determine an effective strategy for preparing the ratification and implementation packages as quickly as possible. He also proposed using the possibility of a parliamentary legislative initiative to expedite the process if necessary.

Following the discussion, participants agreed to resume work in early June. The tentative date for the next meeting is June 9. By that time, the Ministry of Justice is to submit its proposals regarding possible amendments to the legislation.