High-level delegation from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia invited to Lower Saxony for an exchange of experience

The delegation visits the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice; front centre: Justice Minister Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann, behind her to the right: State Secretary Dr. Thomas Smollich.
The delegation visits the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice; front centre: Justice Minister Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann, behind her to the right: State Secretary Dr. Thomas Smollich.
Ukraine, Moldova and Georgiaukraurk

In late August 2023, the IRZ invited three delegations from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to Lower Saxony to exchange experiences on issues of ensuring the independence of the judiciary. This event was prepared together with the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice.

Justice Minister Dr. Kathrin Wahlmann welcomed the delegations. The expert talks were led by the State Secretary in the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice, Dr. Thomas Smollich, and the Director of the IRZ, Dr. Stefan Hülshörster.

The President of the Lower Saxony State Court and President of the State Labour Court, the Chairman of the Chief Judges' Council, the Presidents of the Social Court and the Hanover District Court and the President of the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court were also involved in the talks, along with other employees from the Ministry of Justice.

From Ukraine, the Deputy Minister of Justice, Banchuk was joined by representatives from the Supreme Court, the High Judicial Qualification Commission and the High Council of Justice; on the Moldovan side, in addition to the Deputy Chair of the Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, the interim President of the Supreme Judicial Council and the President of the Supreme Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office took part and a representative of the Ministry of Justice and, from Georgia, a judge of the Supreme Court was joined by the President of the Georgian Bar Association and the Director of the National School of Judges.

The composition of the delegation ensured an intensive exchange of ideas and experiences, during which the guests also presented the current status of their reforms, particularly regarding their efforts to prepare for accession to the EU.

The visit was rounded off by expert talks with the co-Chair of the German Association of Judges and with the Parliamentary State Secretary, Benjamin Strasser, MP in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Berlin.

XVI German-Ukrainian colloquium on the administrative procedural law at the Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court in Koblenz

Participants of the XVI Colloquium with the President of the Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court, Prof. Dr. Lars Brocker and the Director of the IRZ, Dr. Stefan Hülshörster.
Participants of the XVI Colloquium with the President of the Rhineland-Palatinate Higher Administrative Court, Prof. Dr. Lars Brocker and the Director of the IRZ, Dr. Stefan Hülshörster.
Ukraine

The XVI German-Ukrainian colloquium on administrative procedural law was held from 16-22 July 2023. The IRZ has organised this annual meeting between German and Ukrainian administrative judges since 2005, and the event aims to promote cooperation and exchange in the area of administrative law.

The IRZ has been advising Ukraine both on the establishment of a Ukrainian administrative court jurisdiction and on the drafting of the Administrative Procedures Act since the 1990s, and works intensively and effectively with the Rhineland-Palatinate administrative court jurisdiction.

The colloquium was held again this year after a break from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic and the war. The colloquium provided an ideal platform for professional exchanges, in-depth discussions and practical insights into the work of the German colleagues, among others through participation in the meetings. Three judges from the Administrative Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Ukraine took part in the week-long meeting. The guests were warmly welcomed on the first day of the colloquium by Prof. Dr. Lars Brocker, President of the Constitutional Court and the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Dr. Stefan Hülshörster, Director of the IRZ.

A highlight of the colloquium was the visit to the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate to Mainz on 19 July. The Ukrainian guests were received in the historical building of the Deutschhaus by the President of the State Parliament, Hendrik Hering, and the Director, Ursula Molka. The participants were then able to attend a plenary session of the State Parliament from the visitors' gallery to gain an insight into parliamentary activities and practices in Germany.

The XVI The German-Ukrainian colloquium on administrative procedural law was undoubtedly a great success and contributed to further strengthening the long-standing cooperation with Ukraine in the field of administrative law.

Study trip on combating corruption and money laundering

The delegation at an expert talk with members of the Committee on Legal Affairs at the German Bundestag.
The delegation at an expert talk with members of the Committee on Legal Affairs at the German Bundestag.
Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova

The IRZ conducted a study trip in North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin on the subject of combating corruption and money laundering for a delegation from the Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. The Committee on Legal Affairs of the German Bundestag also received the guests as part of the diverse programme.

In 2022, the European Union granted Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova EU candidate status and Georgia was also offered the prospect of EU accession. The German Bundestag therefore provided the IRZ with additional funds to conduct cooperation with these three partner countries As the recommendations of the EU Commission for the necessary legal reforms in all three states emphasised in particular the fight against corruption and organised crime, the IRZ implemented a study trip with the relevant specialist focus in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The participants were representatives from various governmental and non-governmental institutions from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia that are responsible for preventing and prosecuting cases of corruption.

The State Justice Minister Dr. Benjamin Limbach, received the delegation In North Rhine-Westphalia, This was followed by appointments at the State Office of Criminal Investigations and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Düsseldorf. The guests also visited the main departments of the Public Prosecutor's Offices in Wuppertal and Bochum, and engaged in expert talks to explore in-depth issues around the confiscation of assets and organised crime. At a meeting with the European Public Prosecutor's Office, they also discussed the subject of “Investigations into cases of fraud and tax evasion affecting the European budget of the European Union”.

The delegation then travelled to Berlin, where it was received by the Committee on Legal Affairs of the German Bundestag. Dr. Günter Krings, MdB, chaired the discussion, in which the participants explained the progress made to date and the major challenges in the fight against corruption in Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. The study trip was rounded off with expert talks at the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland. The focus here was on “Measures to prevent corruption in the federal administration”.

A similar study trip on the theme of “Independence of the judiciary” to Lower Saxony and Berlin is planned for August 2023 with participants from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to further promote exchanges between the three partner states as part of the EU accession process.