The work on the Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession has been completed

The Council of Europe has prepared the final text of the draft Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession, the world's first document that sets international standards for the protection of lawyers, guarantees their independence and protects them from risks associated with the performance of their professional duties.

This was announced by Valentyn Gvozdiy, Vice President of the UNBA, BCU, following the ninth meeting of the Committee of Experts on the Protection of Lawyers (CJ-AV), which took place in Strasbourg on September 11.

It was this committee, of which V. Gvozdiy is a vice-president, that worked on developing the concept and drafting the text of the Convention. CJ-AV operates under the Committee of Ministers and the European Committee on Legal Cooperation (CDCJ) of the Council of Europe.

The next step will be to approve the text of the Convention at the CDCJ meeting to be held in November. After that, the document will be sent to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for consideration. The Convention is expected to enter into force in the spring of 2025.

The finalization of the Convention is a powerful step towards the creation of common European standards that will guarantee the protection of the profession, regardless of the country in which the lawyer is practicing. The emergence of such a document of historic proportions is important not only for the European but also for the Ukrainian bar, which faces daily challenges that threaten the independence of the institution.

«I am proud to have represented Ukraine in this process, - says V. Gvozdiy. - This is a recognition of the high level of development of the legal profession in Ukraine, a political signal that our professional community is at the forefront of protecting human rights and the rule of law. This is especially important at a time when the Ukrainian National Bar Association is facing unfounded manipulative attacks aimed at undermining its independence».

Claire Ovi, Director of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, noted that this Convention is an important step towards strengthening the protection of lawyers, given the growing risks faced by the profession. She emphasized that justice systems cannot function properly without the free and independent exercise of the profession of lawyer. Gianluca Esposito, Director General of the Office of Human Rights and Rule of Law, added that the document has received significant support from the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which underlines its political relevance.