Bar reform on Ukraine’s path to the EU: the relevant Committee of the Verkhovna Rada counts on cross-party support

Proposals for reforming the advocacy profession, developed by the UNBA Working Group with the participation of members of parliament, may receive support from all parliamentary factions once they are drafted into a bill and submitted to parliament.

This was discussed during the roundtable «Bar reform on Ukraine’s path to the EU: progress in implementing the Rule of Law Roadmap», which took place in Brussels.

The chairman of the Subcommittee on the organization and activities of the advocacy and legal aid bodies of the Committee on legal policy Volodymyr Vatras spoke positively about the parliament’s cooperation with the Ukrainian National Bar Association and expressed gratitude for involving members of parliament in the work on legislative proposals from the very beginning of the Working Group’s activities.

«We are convinced that when the draft law on advocacy and the practice of law is submitted to Parliament, we will have very strong support from all factions in our Parliament», - noted V. Vatras.

He further explained that preparations for the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Professions of Lawyer and the implementation of the Roadmap regarding bar reform are proceeding in parallel — as two separate processes with a single goal. According to him, this distinction ensures that neither process is delayed.

The chairman of the Subcommittee on political reform and constitutional law Maksym Dyrdin confirmed that work on the swiftest possible ratification of the Convention is ongoing. He emphasized that advocacy must remain independent of the state and external influence, as the proper protection of citizens’ rights depends on this, and he described the profession’s self-financing as a prerequisite for preserving its independence.

The 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 Mykola Stefanchuk also expressed confidence that the proposed provisions would benefit the legal community. At the same time, he emphasized his openness to further discussion and proposals from Ukrainian advocates, European partners and other representatives of the legal community.

The deputy chairman of the Committee on legal policy Ivan Kalaur also expressed support for the draft. «Of course, we will do everything possible and even the impossible in our parliament to ensure that the bill becomes law and provides guidance and the opportunity for our advocacy profession to act effectively in the future», - he concluded.

As a reminder, the Roadmap on the Rule of Law, approved by Decree No. 475-r of the Cabinet of Ministers dated May 14, 2025, provides for the drafting and adoption in the fourth quarter of 2026 of a law to improve the legal regulation of the legal profession by bringing legislation on advocacy and acts of bar self-governance into line with European standards. The Ministry of Justice, the Verkhovna Rada and the Ukrainian National Bar Association have been designated as co-implementers of this measure.

The UNBA’s working group on implementing the Roadmap, which was established by Resolution No. 125 of the BCU dated December 12, 2025, with the participation of members of parliament who are members of the Committee on Legal Policy, is today finalizing work on the draft. Consultations are ongoing with the CCBE and the advocacy associations of EU member states regarding specific sections. The final draft of the text must be approved by the working group before the bill is submitted to parliament.