A meeting was held on 4 June between Hallvard Gorseth, Head of the Anti-Discrimination Department of the Council of Europe, and Liudmyla Suhak, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine for European Integration.

The exchange focused on the current and future cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the Council of Europe with regard to the support in aligning to European standards in the field of equality, combating discrimination and hatred and protecting the rights of national minorities. Special attention was paid to the expert assistance provided to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, which also contributes to the early phases of EU accession negotiations.

Further important issues discussed were the development and future implementation of the legislation on civil partnership for same-sex couples in Ukraine and the potential support in developing a roadmap in the field of rule of law, providing expert assistance in drafting legislative initiatives and action plans for the implementation of the National Human Rights Strategy.

Deputy Minister Suhak expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by the Council of Europe through the joint project "Support for implementing European standards relating to anti-discrimination and rights of national minorities in Ukraine", co-funded by the Council of Europe and the European Union.