Vatras: The Council of Europe Convention and amendments to the law on the bar — two parallel directions
13 January 08:10
Ukraine’s signing of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession and its subsequent ratification by parliament, as well as the improvement of legislation on the legal profession, are parallel processes that should not be made dependent on each other.
This nuance in the implementation of the Roadmap on the Rule of Law, approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 475-r of May 14, 2025, was noted by Volodymyr Vatras, Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Organization and Activities of the Bar and Legal Aid Bodies of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Among the tasks set out in the document is the development and adoption of a draft law on improving the legal regulation of the legal profession by the fourth quarter of 2026.
The MP took part in a meeting of the working group on the implementation of the Roadmap and stressed the need to distinguish between two different areas, which, according to him, the Ministry of Justice combines into one.
“In our subcommittee, we believe that these are two different areas, so it is extremely urgent today to sign and ratify the Convention… And then, of course, within the framework of the working group, we will work on the relevant law,” explained Volodymyr Vatras.
It should be recalled that the Council of Europe, at its 1522nd meeting held on March 11 and 12, 2025,adopted the Convention on the Protection of the Legal Profession. Despite the fact that Ukraine had delegated its representative, Valentyn Hvozdii, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian National Bar Association, to the working group on the development of this international act, our country has not yet signed the Convention.
The reasons for the delay were examined, in particular, at working meetings in the Verkhovna Rada. On August 20, Deputy Minister of Justice for European Integration Lyudmila Sugak said that the ministry recognizes the importance of the international agreement but insists on the need to carefully assess what changes will have to be made to national legislation. According to her, the preparation of the draft ratification law must be accompanied by the development of amendments to relevant acts, and these processes must proceed in parallel.
She also referred to the Roadmap on the Rule of Law approved by the government, which contains a number of measures to improve the bar system and harmonize it with EU law. In this context, she said, the Ministry of Justice collected proposals from state authorities and judicial institutions in order to form a consolidated position.
Thus, according to the head of the relevant parliamentary subcommittee, the issue of the Convention should be considered as a separate priority track, and work on amendments to the Law “On the Bar and Legal Practice” should take place within the framework of the already established working group as a separate, procedurally organized process.
In this context, Volodymyr Vatras emphasized that the parliament will take into account the position of the UNBA when preparing decisions.
“The Committee on Legal Policy works closely with the bar self-government bodies. I am convinced that the legislative body will definitely take into account the position of the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine, which represents about 70,000 practicing lawyers in Ukraine today. This is an extremely powerful professional community. In essence, they are the intelligentsia of jurisprudence, people who, with their experience, knowledge, and skills, will help us develop this bill,” he said.
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