On 13 July 2018, expert consultations on application in Ukraine of Protocol no. 16 to the European Convention on Human Rights took place in Kyiv. The event was jointly organised by the Council of Europe project “Supporting Ukraine in execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights”, which is funded by the Human Rights Trust Fund, and by the Supreme Court.
President and judges of the Supreme Court, members of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, representatives of the Administration of the President of Ukraine, the Agent of Ukraine before the European Court of Human Rights, as well as experts and representatives of the Council of Europe, took part in the event. The European Court of Human Rights was represented by Mr Johan Callewaert, Deputy Grand Chamber Registrar.
The Protocol no. 16 will enter into force on 1 August 2018 – three months after its ratification by ten Council of Europe member states. Under Protocol no. 16, highest courts and tribunals of Council of Europe member states will be able to request the European Court of Human Rights to give advisory opinions on questions of principle relating to the interpretation or application of the rights and freedoms defined in the European Convention on Human Rights or the protocols thereto.
More information on the advisory opinion procedure is available in the Guidelines approved by the Plenary European Court of Human Rights on 18 September 2017 https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Guidelines_P16_ENG.pdf.
WEB LINKS TO THE EVENT
https://supreme.court.gov.ua/supreme/pres-centr/news/522308 – the Supreme Court