Internationale rechtliche Zusammenarbeit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

“Introduction to German and EU Law” summer school in Bonn, Strasbourg and Brussels

Details: Published: July 23, 2024

Visit to the Council of the European Union in Brussels.

Ukraine

From 8 to 18 July 2024, IRZ organized the summer school “Introduction to German and EU Law”, which offered Ukrainian students from five universities the opportunity to gain in-depth insights into the German and European legal system. The participants came from Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv, Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ivan Franko University in Lviv, Yaroslav Mudryi University in Kharkiv and I.I. Mechnikov University in Odessa.

The first module of the summer school took place in Bonn, where the students were given an intensive introduction to the German legal system. In a series of lectures, they learned the basics of German state and constitutional law, civil and civil procedural law, criminal and criminal procedural law as well as administrative law, administrative procedure and administrative procedural law. In addition to the lectures, they had the opportunity to gain practical experience by attending civil and criminal court sessions at Bonn Regional Court. They also explored the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Bonn, giving them a comprehensive insight into the academic world of law.

In preparation for the second module of the summer school, the participants received a comprehensive introduction to European Union (EU) law and a detailed analysis of the impact of EU law on German national law. In addition, human rights protection within the framework of the Council of Europe was dealt with, with a particular focus on the European Convention on Human Rights.

The second module of the summer school took the participants to Strasbourg and Brussels, where they deepened their understanding of the European institutions and how they work. In Strasbourg, they were given an introduction to the work of the Council of Europe and visited the plenary chamber of the Parliamentary Assembly. They were also introduced to the HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) program, which is specifically geared towards Ukraine.

The highlight of the summer school was a visit to the plenary session of the newly elected EU Parliament in Strasbourg. The students had the unique opportunity to follow the session from the public gallery and listen to the speeches of the candidates for the post of President of the Parliament.

This was followed in Brussels by a visit to the European Commission and presentations on the role of the European Commission as the EU's political executive and on Ukraine's accession prospects and long-term integration into the EU. The visit to the Council of the EU provided valuable insights into the legal framework for the Union's external relations and rounded off the program.

The summer school not only provided the Ukrainian students with useful academic knowledge, but also enabled them to learn first-hand about the functioning and structures of the most important European institutions, with a special focus on Ukraine.

18th German-Ukrainian colloquium on administrative jurisdiction

Details: Published: July 23, 2024

(from right to left): Oleh Zaverukha, President of the Lviv Administrative Court of Appeal, Tetiana Drachuk, President of the Vinnytsa Administrative Court of Appeal, Prof Dr Lars Brocker, President of the Constitutional Court and of the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate, Natalia Bohdaniuk, Deputy Head of Administration of the Supreme Court, Head of the Secretariat of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, Andrij Zahorodniuk, Judge at the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, Johannes Göbel, Presidential Judge at the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate, Wolfram Hertig, Senior Project Manager, IRZ.

Ukraine

The Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court (OVG) once again created the framework for dialogue with the Ukrainian administrative judiciary this year and hosted the colloquium on current topics in administrative procedural law from 8-12 July 2024.

Andrij Zahorodniuk, Judge at the Administrative Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court, Oleh Zaverukha, President of the Administrative Court of Appeal in Lviv, Tetiana Drachuk, President of the Administrative Court of Appeal in Vinnytsa and the Deputy Administrative Director of the Supreme Court, Head of the Secretariat of the Administrative Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court, Natalia Bohdaniuk, travelled from Ukraine. The President of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Parliament, Hendrik Hering, received the delegation.

The war in Ukraine is causing considerable difficulties for the entire judiciary in the country, such as a lack of personnel, additional logistical and organisational problems and stagnating reforms. At the same time, the administrative judiciary has recorded a significant increase in the number of lawsuits due to the war.

Thanks to the dedicated initiative of the President of the Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court (and President of the Rhineland-Palatinate Constitutional Court), Prof Dr Lars Brocker, a programme has now been created with expert discussions on current key topics such as IT-supported judicial activity, e-files, assembly law, judicial self-administration, delimitation of administrative and constitutional disputes, commercial administrative law with European law.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Administrative Courts had already been advising the Ukrainian partners since the mid-1990s on behalf of IRZ on the first drafts of the Ukrainian Administrative Procedure Act – as well as the Administrative Procedure Act that came into force at the end of last year. The development of the Ukrainian administrative justice system, which was created in 2005, is still based on many years of German advice. Reliable regulations that conform to the rule of law are developed directly from the constitution when there is a lack of specialised legislation, such as in the law on public assembly or school law. Undefined legal concepts are concretised and filled in, taking into account constitutional values and fundamental rights guarantees. Together with the highly committed Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court, it has once again been possible to play a constructive role in the expansion of administrative jurisdiction in Ukraine. This has shown the effectiveness of the mutual exchange over a long period of time.

IRZ at the Ukraine Recovery Conference

Details: Published: June 11, 2024

Ukraine

The rapid and long-term reconstruction of Ukraine and the country's accession to the EU were the focus of this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place in Berlin from June 11 to 12, 2024. Germany and Ukraine were co-organizers; within the German government, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development hosted the event. At the invitation of the Ministry and the Federal Foreign Office IRZ also presented its advisory projects in the area of promoting the rule of law.

IRZ has been advising Ukraine for many years within the Ukraine in the context of various reform projects and is currently supporting it on its way to EU membership with special the EU with special funds provided by the German Bundestag. As an EU accession candidate, the country faces enormous challenges: Ensuring human rights and the rule of law, guaranteeing the functioning of public service institutions, harmonisation of the legal system with EU standards. This is where IRZ provides support, as these are topics that have been part of its consulting portfolio for over 30 years.

On the topic of "Rule of law, judicial reform and the establishment of an international compensation mechanism" was discussed by the President of IRZ, Parliamentary State Secretary Benjamin Strasser, Member of the German Bundestag with high-ranking guests in one of the conference sessions.

Further information:

https://www.urc-international.com/

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