The EU legal order: guidelines for the Ukrainian judicial system

On 8–9 October 2025, the National School of Judges of Ukraine held an international seminar for judges and assistant judges entitled ‘Key Aspects of the Legal Order and Judicial Organisation of the European Union’. The event was supported by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), the Luxembourg Technical Assistance Programme for Ukraine “Support for Legal and Institutional Reforms Necessary for Candidate Status”, the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine, and the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine.

The seminar was opened by Natalia Shuklina, Acting Rector of the National School of Judges of Ukraine, who emphasised the importance of training Ukrainian judges in European Union law to ensure the uniform application of legislation and strengthen mutual trust in inter-state judicial proceedings. 

Welcoming remarks were also made by Virgilijus Valančius, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union (2016–2023) and Chief International Expert of the Pravo-Justice Project, and Oleksandr Kyrychenko, Acting Director of the Hennadiy Udovenko Diplomatic Academy.

The two-day seminar programme included sessions on in-depth study of the EU legal order, the relationship between EU law and national legislation, and the interpretation of national norms in accordance with EU law. Participants also worked on practical tasks related to the application of EU directives, which allowed them to consolidate their theoretical knowledge.

International experts shared their experience and practical knowledge with the seminar participants: Juan Diego Ramirez-Cardenas Diaz, Senior Legal Expert at EIPA (Luxembourg), and Wolfgang Koet, Senior Expert at EIPA (Maastricht). National expert Olesia Radyshevska, judge of the Supreme Court in the Administrative Court of Cassation, also took part in the training. The seminar was moderated by Maksym Khodakivsky, judge of the Soborny District Court of Dnipro.

The prepared handouts – regulatory acts, presentations and annotated court decisions of the Court of Justice of the EU – will be useful during the implementation of training courses on EU law at the National School of Judges and for the self-training of judges.