Judges and legal staff of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia sharing their experience with the Ukrainian colleagues about the Latvian legal system’s integration into the EU
On 17 and 18 October 2024, a seminar for the judges and legal staff of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine will be held in Riga, implemented in the framework of the project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine” as part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, the event will be attended by representatives of the Council of Europe.
At the opening of the seminar Vice President of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia Irēna Kucina emphasized: “Each day brings Ukraine and Europe closer to victory. This means that the future Ukraine is approaching – a democratic state governed by the rule of law in the family of European states. The main purpose of our project is shared work for full integration of the Ukrainian legal system in the European Union. Latvia’s experience during last 20 years shows that this path is complex, demands strength and patience. We are pleased to have this opportunity to support our Ukrainian colleagues.”
The purpose of the seminar is to provide, during several working sessions, to the Ukrainian colleagues information about the way taken by the Latvian legal system to join the European Union and NATO. The parties will discuss the requirements that follow from this integration process for the legal system, inter alia, changes in the understanding of the issues of constitutional law within the Latvian legal system, as well as the experience of the Latvian Constitutional Court in applying the provisions of the European Union law and its dialogue with the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Judges and legal staff of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine will participate in the discussions. “Judges, as well as assistants and advisors to judges play an important role within the European legal space. Judges deliver the rulings on various legal matters, assistants and advisors to judges, in turn, contribute significantly to research, preparation of opinions and legal analysis, which makes them irreplaceable in the Courts’ work,” Irēna Kucina stated, highlighting the need to contribute, in the framework of the project, to the professional development of not only judges but also legal staff of the Courts.
Likewise, before this seminar, on 16 October, the meeting of the Technical Project Committee was held, attended by the representatives of the Council of Europe, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia, and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. During the meeting, the parties discussed project activities, as well as issues of experience sharing and cooperation between the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Latvia. The project will run until August 2025.
