The Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer will receive significantly more than 226 votes – M. Stefanchuk

Once the technical preparations are complete, the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Advocate will receive broad support in the Verkhovna Rada. Significantly more than the minimum required 226 members of parliament may vote in favor of the international treaty.

This was stated by a member of parliament and chairman of the Subcommittee on the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to the provisions of European Union Law (EU acquis) and the implementation of Ukraine’s international legal obligations in the field of European integration, part of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on legal policy Mykola Stefanchuk during the roundtable discussion «The Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer: a future part of Ukrainian legislation», which was recently held in Kyiv.

«As soon as all the necessary technical issues are finalized, you will see more than 226 votes on the scoreboard — significantly more. This will demonstrate the legislative branch’s collective support for this initiative», - the lawmaker predicted.

M. Stefanchuk linked the need for professional safeguards for advocates to every person’s right to a defense. «Every Ukrainian advocate is an advocate for the rights of a specific individual. The advocacy profession is structured to protect every man and woman from the arbitrariness and injustice that exist in modern society», - he noted.

At the same time, the lawmaker drew attention to the vulnerability of the defenders themselves while performing their professional duties. «Those who defend, unfortunately, very often remain unprotected themselves», - the lawmaker stated.

In his opinion, the state must create a system under which advocates can effectively represent a person’s interests without fear of undue influence. «We must create a system to protect advocates’ rights so that they are not afraid to provide effective and high-quality defense, and so that no unlawful mechanisms or abuses of power by state institutions can put them in a situation where they would abandon their defense duties», - emphasized M. Stefanchuk.

As a reminder, the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer was adopted on March 12, 2025, and opened for signature on May 13 of the same year. On March 9, 2026, Ukraine became the 28th country to sign this international treaty. Preparations are currently underway for the ratification package and the legislative changes necessary to implement the document.