From the post-Soviet legacy to European standards: changing requirements for the Ukrainian justice system in the process of European integration

How are the requirements for the Ukrainian prosecution service and judicial system changing as part of the process of European integration? Which EU standards must judges and prosecutors already take into account today? What lessons from other European countries could be useful for Ukraine?

These topical issues were discussed on 1 October 2026 in Poltava during the seminar ‘Strengthening the Ukrainian prosecution service and judicial system in line with EU standards: the rule of law, democratic resilience and criminal justice’.

Judges from local and appeal courts, as well as prosecutors, took part in the training. The event was organised in cooperation with the National School of Judges of Ukraine, the Prosecutors Training Centre of Ukraine and the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) in Ukraine.

A Ukrainian professional perspective on current issues relating to European integration was presented by the head of the ‘Rule of Law’ division of the Legislative Initiatives Laboratory and trainer at the Training Centre for Prosecutors of Ukraine, Yevhen Krapyvin, and by Professor Nataliia Akhtyrska of the Department of Criminology at the Educational and Scientific Institute of Law, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

In their presentations, they focused on the reform of the prosecution service in the context of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and the state’s obligations to ensure the independence of the judiciary.

Henry Telkki, Senior Adviser on Prosecutorial Affairs at the EUAM, presented his views on the significance of EU legislation for Ukrainian judges and prosecutors. The expert highlighted the practical aspects of applying EU law and European standards in the field of justice.

Poland’s experience – an opportunity to see the reform process from the inside

The participants showed particular interest in Poland’s comparative experience. Dariusz Sielicki, Senior Adviser on the Prosecution of International Crimes at the EUAM, spoke about the specific aspects of reforming the judicial system and the public prosecution service following the period of Soviet influence.

For Ukrainian experts, this experience provides an opportunity not only to learn from the path already taken by another European country, but also to discuss the practical challenges that arise during the reform of the judiciary and the public prosecution service.

A key part of the event was a panel discussion, which provided an opportunity to move on from the presentations to a direct professional exchange of views. Participants included Dariusz Selicki, Henry Telkki and Christopher Elliott, Advisor on Criminal Investigations into Organised Crime at the EUAM, as well as judges and prosecutors from the region.

Participants had the opportunity to discuss practical issues relating to the application of European standards, put questions to the experts and compare Ukrainian experience with the approaches used in European Union Member States.

Shared understanding of standards – the foundation of an effective criminal justice system

A distinctive feature of the event was the combination of judges and prosecutors in the audience. After all, the effectiveness of the criminal justice system depends to a large extent on professional cooperation between all its participants, a shared understanding of European standards, and a clear awareness of the role and powers of each institution.

It is precisely such formats that provide an opportunity not only to discuss European integration in terms of regulatory requirements, but also to explore how European standards work in practice and what their application means for the day-to-day work of Ukrainian judges and prosecutors.