The Mission of Ukraine to the EU commended the professional quality of the UNBA’s work on bar reform

The reform of advocacy is part of the implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap, which is used to assess Ukraine’s progress in EU accession negotiations. First Secretary of the Mission of Ukraine to the European Union Stanislav Sokur, who participated in the UNBA roundtable in Brussels, noted the high professional standard of the reform’s development carried out with the participation of the legal profession itself and members of parliament and expressed hope that it would result in high-quality legislation that would accelerate Ukraine’s integration processes.

The diplomat made these remarks during the roundtable titled «Bar reform on Ukraine’s path to the EU: progress in implementing the Rule of Law Roadmap» At the event, the UNBA presented the findings of the Working Group on the Implementation of the Roadmap regarding the draft of the new version of the Law of Ukraine «On the advocacy and the practice of law» in five areas: access to the profession, organization of bar self-governance, disciplinary procedures, continuing professional development, and guarantees for the practice of law.

S. Sokur noted that this area requires high-quality professional attention — and that is precisely the level he observed during the discussion.

«I hope that this discussion will lead to the development of a high-quality legislative act that will allow us to accelerate our integration processes and meet the high standards that exist in member states and in the European Union as a whole», - said the representative of the diplomatic mission.

During the roundtable, representatives of the advocacy associations of Italy, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and Lithuania provided assessments and recommendations on the proposed provisions, while Ukrainian Members of Parliament — members of the Committee on Legal Policy who are part of the Working Group discussed the legislative prospects for the reform. The Working Group is taking into account the results of the discussion and the positions of the European advocacy organizations as it prepares the final draft.

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 development and adoption in the fourth quarter of 2026 of a law to improve the legal regulation of the legal profession, bringing legislation on advocacy and acts of bar self-governance into line with European standards. The Ministry of Justice, the Verkhovna Rada and the UNBA have been designated as co-implementers of the initiative.

The UNBA’s working group on implementing the Roadmap, which was established by Decision 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.