Minister of Justice holds meeting on behalf of Presidency with counterpart Mykola Onischuk
The cooperation of the EU with Ukraine in combating corruption, organised crime and money laundering was among the topics Czech Minister of Justice Daniela Kovářová discussed with her Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Onischuk.
On 3 June the meeting of representatives of the EU and Ukraine was held at the level of Ministers of the Interior and Justice.
The Minister of Justice emphasised the importance of the cooperation with Ukraine in combating corruption, which is considered to be quite widespread. “Combating this phenomenon is like a long-distance run. We are aware of the big effort which Ukraine has made in this area and of the success obtained,” Daniela Kovářová said. Ukraine has already ratified for example the Civil Law Convention on Corruption, signed the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as well as the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption of the Council of the EU. The Minister also appreciated the development in the cooperation of Ukraine with the OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and GRECO (The Group of States against Corruption). Following their recommendation, the country has adopted an act on a special representative for combating corruption. “Combating corruption is one of the fundamental priorities of the Ukrainian Government which will continue to do its best to reduce this problem,” confirmed Ukrainian Minister of Justice Onischuk.
The fight against organised crime, where the Czech Presidency continues the EU long-term intentions such as the prevention of Internet exploitation, money laundering and the protection of children, was also on the agenda. The Presidency started, for instance, the revision of the Council Framework Decision on combating the sexual abuse of children and child pornography. Another significant act which is currently being discussed in working groups is the revision of the Council Framework Decision on combating trafficking in human beings.
The Czech Presidency emphasised the ongoing justice reform in Ukraine. Minister Kovářová particularly appreciated the country’s effort in relation to improving the system for training and recruiting judges. She pointed to digitisation as another important tool in the efforts to make justice more transparent. “One of the priorities of the Czech Presidency is the so-called e-Justice. Therefore I was delighted to hear about the implementation of the unified Ukraine register, which gives the citizens fast and easy access to judicial decisions”, the Czech Minister told the Ukrainians.
The EU representatives also emphasised the importance of developing cooperation between the Ukraine and the EU Member States, especially on the basis of multilateral treaties. The prerequisite of a successful EU – Ukraine cooperation is a guarantee of legal certainty, legal predictability and a fair trial.
- More information: Ministerial Troika EU – Ukraine met in Luxembourg
Contact:
- Petra Střítecká, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Justice for the Czech EU Presidency,
- phone.: +420 221 997 261, mobile: +420 737 247 353; [email protected]
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:19
