Participants at the German-Ukrainian conference on fighting corruption at the German Judicial Academy in Wustrau
Ukraine
IRZ and the Ministry of Justice of Lower Saxony organized the above-mentioned conference at the German Judicial Academy in Wustrau from 11 to 14 November 2024. Both German and Ukrainian representatives contributed to this very practice-oriented conference.
From the German side, legal practitioners from Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg , Hamburg and Bavaria as well as a judge from the Regional Court of Hildesheim were represented, while three institutions tasked with the prosecution of corruption cases participated from the Ukrainian side: the High Anti-Corruption Court, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
In Berlin, the participants were welcomed by the Chairwoman of the Legal Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag and member of the German Bundestag, Ms. Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, and by the Head of Directorate of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Dr. Sebastian Jeckel. Prior to this, Senior Public Prosecutor Gunther Rauche had been welcomed to the Public Prosecutor's Office for Combating Corruption in Neuruppin for a technical discussion.
Combating and preventing corruption are important topics for the promotion of the rule of law and Ukraine's accession negotiations with the European Union, which is why the aim is to continue cooperation and strengthen Ukrainian institutions in 2025.
The delegation will be welcomed by Dr Georg Kleemann on behalf of the Federal Council.
Ukraine
Due to the current revision of a Ukrainian law on legislation adopted in 2023, some parliamentarians and lawyers led by the Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, Mr. Denys Maslov, visited Berlin from 4 to 9 November 2024 to find out about the legislative process in Germany.
After an initial visit to the Federal Ministry of Justice, including a technical discussion on legal formalities, the delegation visited the Bundesrat to find out about its role in the German legislative process. This was followed by further meetings in the Bundestag, including with representatives of the Committee on Internal Affairs and board members of the German-Ukrainian parliamentary group.
The delegation immediately incorporated the knowledge gained from the exchange into the revision of the draft, with the technical support of an IRZ expert. Due to the great interest of the Ukrainian partners in training further members of the judiciary in the German legislative process, the IRZ is seeking to continue the exchange in 2025.
The delegation, headed by the Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor, Viktoriia Litvinova, with the Chief Public Prosecutor of Berlin, Margarete Koppers, the Senior Public Prosecutor Petra Leister and the Public Prosecutor Dr. Bastian Dorenburg.
Ukraine
Representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the public prosecutor's offices of various Ukrainian regions visited Berlin from 14 to 18 October 2024 to exchange views with the German judiciary on juvenile crime, juvenile justice and the issue of ‘young people as victims of crime’.
Youth crime in Ukraine has increased significantly since Russia launched its war of aggression in February 2022, and the Ukrainian criminal code does not currently distinguish between children, young people or adults who break the law. Children and young people are also increasingly becoming victims of violence themselves.
The ten-member delegation held expert talks at the Federal Ministry of Justice on the topic of ‘Youth Crime and Youth Criminal Cases’, but also discussed the legal basis of out-of-court settlements, such as victim-offender mediation, and then exchanged views with the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office about its role in juvenile criminal proceedings. There was also a lively comparative exchange on the legal bases of both countries and on how children and young people are treated in criminal proceedings.
A technical discussion with a juvenile court judge and a defence lawyer showed the scope of the two different roles in criminal proceedings, supplemented by the principle of juvenile court assistance, the tasks and the responsibilities towards young people.
In a further discussion, two female chief inspectors from the Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation explained the various strategies for preventing child and youth crime in the German capital. Finally, the child protection and trauma outpatient clinics in Berlin and the Childhood House at the Charité were presented to the delegation at the Charité. Children and young people affected by violence are not only taken care of here, but also accommodated in secure premises. This means that they do not necessarily have to appear in court, which promotes child-friendly justice.
The working visit was preceded by a preparatory online event in August 2020, during which an IRZ training film showed an example of a juvenile criminal trial concerning the robbery of a vest.
The delegation was able to take away many ideas from the German juvenile court system. IRZ is planning to continue the cooperation in 2025.
