Ukraine

Commercial Senate of the Supreme Court of Ukraine Visits IRZ for Expert Talks

Ukrainian Delegation in the office of IRZ, September 2013

The Commercial Senate of the Supreme Court of Ukraine visited the IRZ in Bonn for expert talks, chaired by Senate President Barbara from 23 to 27 September 2013. The IRZ looks back on a close and trustful cooperation of long standing with the Supreme Court. The issues which were discussed included above all questions of the judicial reform and the related reformation of the law relating to the court constitution, case law and the entire procedural law, also involving the judges of the Supreme Court. After the Supreme Court had to put up with a loss of functions involving substantial staff reductions, also among the judges, as a consequence of the last reform of the judicial system, the focus was now on safeguarding the uniformity of the case law, which is one of today's central tasks of the Supreme Court, and the particularities of appeals on points of law only as well as the issue of a binding effect of rulings of the Supreme Court. The event furthermore focused on the areas of antitrust and competition law as well as the function of an honorary (commercial) judge and (intra and extra-judicial) mediation. The programme was supplemented by an exchange of practical experience at the Higher Regional Court of Cologne, at the Regional Court of Bonn as well as at the Bundeskartellamt [Federal Competition Authority]. The cooperation will be continued by a working visit of the Administrative Senate of the Supreme Court aimed at revising the code of administrative procedure which is scheduled for October 2013 as well as by an expert conference in Kiev in early 2014 dealing with uniformity in case law which will take place with all four senates together.