Will the justice system adopt the Strategy for Judges to Study EU Law?

In order to prepare the Ukrainian judicial system for the application of European Union law, it is not enough simply to study European legal standards and the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU. Systematic professional training is required, focused on the practical needs of the judicial process and ensuring that judges are prepared to apply EU law in their work.

The National School of Judges of Ukraine, in collaboration with national and international experts, is developing a Training Strategy on EU Law for 2027–2030, which will set out the key directions for the development of judicial education in the field of European law and will help to build practical skills for its application in judicial proceedings.

On 14 October 2026, the third meeting of the Advisory Council of Experts at the Training Laboratory for the Study of European Union Law took place, during which participants continued their work on finalising the document.

International experts, representatives of the judiciary and the academic community, as well as Oleksandr Kostryba, a representative of the GIZ Ukraine project ‘Strengthening Ukraine’s Alignment with the EU in the Field of the Rule of Law’, took part in the discussion.

During the meeting, an updated version of the Strategy was presented, incorporating comments and suggestions from members of the Advisory Board following previous consultations. The experts reviewed the revised text and discussed the next steps for its practical implementation.

The next stage involves finalising the document, its official approval and publication. The Strategy is set to be presented to key bodies responsible for judicial governance and the judicial system, in particular the High Council of Justice, the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine and the Council of Judges of Ukraine, as well as to international partners.

As noted by the rector, Mykola Onishchuk, judges’ acquisition of both basic and specialised knowledge of EU law is of national importance in the context of Ukraine’s progress towards membership of the European Union.

The strategy aims to establish a systematic approach to training in EU law for judges and other representatives of Ukraine’s justice system. Its objective is to strengthen the legal community’s capacity to apply European legal standards and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union in national court proceedings.

Furthermore, the involvement of national and international experts makes it possible to combine European experience with the needs of the Ukrainian judicial system and to take into account the challenges facing the judicial system in the process of European integration.

The Advisory Council of Experts comprises: a judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union from 2016 to 2023, Dr of Laws Virgilijus Valančius, Professor at Jagiellonian University and the University of Osnabrück Fryderyk Zoll, Professor of Law and Politics at the University of Groningen John Morijn, a judge of the Supreme Court at the Administrative Court of Cassation Olesia Radyshevska, professors and lecturers at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University Tetiana Komarova and Tetiana Anakina, a professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Nataliia Akhtyrska, Maksym Khodakivskyi, a judge at the Soborny District Court of Dnipro, and staff members of the Training Laboratory for the Study of EU Law.