Court practice with a focus on European standards: a week of professional training for judges at the NSJU

Five days of intensive training, covering a wide range of topical professional subjects, lectures, interactive sessions, training workshops, webinars, seminars and direct discussions on practical issues – all of this was brought together in a week-long refresher course for judges of local general courts, held from 7 to 11 September by the Lviv Regional Branch of the National School of Judges of Ukraine.

The training programme was designed to combine topical issues in national judicial practice, European standards, matters of judicial ethics and professional well-being, as well as the challenges judges face directly when hearing cases.

From the practice of the Supreme Court to European standards

The first day of the training began with a look at current practice in the Supreme Court. Svitlana Iakovlieva, a Supreme Court judge at the Cassation Criminal Court, focused on evidence and the burden of proof in criminal proceedings, while Iryna Lytvynenko, a Supreme Court judge at the Cassation Civil Court, examined current issues regarding the application of procedural law in the Supreme Court’s practice.

The professional session continued with Yehor Krasnov, a Supreme Court judge at the Commercial Court of Cassation and Deputy Representative of Ukraine to the Consultative Council of European Judges, who presented European approaches to the welfare of judges in the light of Opinion No. 28 (2025) of the Consultative Council of European Judges.

The first day was concluded by Oleksandr Vodyannikov, a judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, who examined the issue of deferred unconstitutionality and the application of unconstitutional provisions by the courts.

Thus, right from the start, the training demonstrated the breadth of the professional course, ranging from practical issues of evidence and the application of procedural rules to European standards for the professional well-being of judges and the constitutional aspects of the administration of justice.

Credit disputes in the context of war

A separate training day was devoted to the judicial consideration of credit cases during a period of martial law. The training session addressed practical issues that are of particular importance today for judges of local general courts.

Participants examined consumer credit and electronic loans, penalties and liability for late payment of monetary obligations, problematic issues relating to suretyship and pledges, the assignment of claims and factoring, as well as fraudulent transactions.

Judges from various regions of Ukraine took part in the training: Inna Veitas, Tetiana Zavarza, Yaroslav Kviatkovskyi, Volodymyr Orlovskyi and Svitlana Tkachova.

The training session was moderated by Olena Kuznetsova – a lecturer and coordinator in the Department for the Training of Lecturers (Trainers) at the National School of Judges of Ukraine, and a retired judge of the Kherson Court of Appeal.

The trainers’ diverse professional backgrounds enabled them to present participants with different approaches to resolving credit disputes and to discuss problematic issues arising in judicial practice under martial law.

The European dimension of the judicial process

The third day began with a webinar entitled ‘EU Environmental Policy: Implementation of “Green Policy” and its Interpretation by the Court of Justice’. Participants were introduced to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the field of environmental protection, in particular regarding the application of EU directives on the establishment and operation of Natura 2000 sites and environmental liability.

The webinar was led by Olga Melen-Zabramna, a lawyer and head of the legal department at the International Environmental Organisation ‘Ecology-Law-Man’. She presented the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the relevant categories of cases and focused on the practical significance of European approaches for Ukraine.

The professional dialogue continued with questions regarding the disciplinary liability of judges, the High Council of Justice’s standards of proof, and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. These topics were explored by Viktoriia Buchkivska, a judge at the Stryi City and District Court in Lviv Oblast and a Doctor of Philosophy in Law.

Retired judge Serhiy Hyrych brought the participants back to the practical aspects of judicial work, focusing on current issues relating to the seizure of property in the work of an investigating judge.

The combination of these topics provided an opportunity to examine the professional challenges faced by judges from various angles – ranging from adherence to standards of judicial conduct and disciplinary practice to specific procedural decisions made on a daily basis in the administration of justice.

Standards of judicial conduct and current case law

The training continued with a series of lectures devoted to issues directly related to the guarantees of a fair trial and professional standards of conduct for judges.

Tetiana Tsuvina, Head of the Department of Civil Procedure, Arbitration and Private International Law at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, Doctor of Laws and Professor, spoke about judicial impartiality and the recusal of judges through the prism of ECHR case law and the national context.

The practical session continued with Iryna Lytvynenko, who examined labour disputes and cases concerning the establishment of facts of legal significance.

Particular attention was paid to the high standards of judicial conduct as set out in the Code of Judicial Ethics. Ruslan Melnyk, a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, spoke about their content and practical significance.

Olha Boiko, a judge at the Sykhiv District Court of Lviv, addressed current criminal case law, focusing on the rules governing the imposition of sentences and the approaches taken in judicial practice to their application.

In this way, a single training day brought together issues of judicial impartiality, ethical standards, civil proceedings and current criminal case law – topics that directly influence the quality and fairness of the administration of justice.

End of the week – practical work, a unified approach and professional resources

The final day of the training was devoted to two areas which, at first glance, appear to be different but are equally important for the effective administration of justice. In particular, during the seminar ‘Special proceedings under martial law through the prism of consistency in judicial practice’, the judges discussed procedural issues relating to the hearing of such cases and the specific aspects of establishing facts of legal significance. Particular attention was paid to issues arising in judicial practice under martial law.

The week concluded with a focus on judges’ emotional well-being and work-life balance. This session was presented by Andrii Masliuk, Deputy Head of the Department for Scientific and Methodological Support of Judges’ Psychological Training at the National School of Judges of Ukraine. Participants discussed with the lecturer the prevention of professional burnout, the balance between professional and personal life, and personal resources in wartime conditions.

Further training following the completion of the programme

A distinctive feature of the week-long training programme was that each day of the course provided an opportunity to ask questions, discuss practical scenarios and receive answers directly from Supreme Court judges, judges of local and appeal courts, academics and experts in the relevant fields.

This combination of different formats made it possible to cover a wide range of issues – from the procedural aspects of hearing specific categories of cases to European standards, judicial ethics and professional wellbeing.

Importantly, the conclusion of the week was not an end in itself, but an opportunity to identify judges’ future professional needs. During the debriefing, participants provided feedback on the content of the training, the practical value of the topics covered, and the issues requiring further consideration in order to develop training programmes that take into account the real professional needs of judges.

The Lviv Regional Branch of the National School of Judges of Ukraine would like to thank all the lecturers, trainers and participants for their professional dialogue, active engagement and willingness to share their experience.

The training of judges continues – along with the development of judicial practice, changes in legislation and the new challenges facing the Ukrainian justice system.