On 8 December 2025, a high-level dialogue “How to introduce a new social model in Ukraine: the experience of other countries in the light of Council of Europe standards” took place in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The event brought together representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, judges of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, civil society, academia, as well as representatives of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
The participants discussed the key challenges of the social sphere, which currently does not meet the current needs of society, as well as the basic principles of a new social model designed to make the Ukrainian social protection system more fair, targeted and aligned with the financial capabilities of the state. Special attention was paid to the need to reform the subsistence minimum. In this process, the practice of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Supreme Court also plays an important role, shaping approaches to institutional and legislative changes in the social sphere.
The current social model, inherited from the Soviet era, has resulted in the non-enforcement or delayed enforcement of thousands of national court decisions, which has a negative impact on human rights protection and requires decisive action. The European Court of Human Rights first addressed this issue in the Kaysin and Others v. Ukraine judgment in 2001, and since 2004 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has been overseeing the implementation of the relevant group of cases.
During the event, the participants got acquainted with the practice of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Committee of Social Rights on social security in the context of state reforms that involved restrictions, cancellations, or reductions of social benefits. These approaches can serve as guidelines for further social security reforms and the preparation of the Social Code.
The participants agreed to continue thematic discussions, in particular on the draft Social Code, which is designed to combine European standards, financial sustainability and effective protection of people in difficult life circumstances.
The event was another step towards the systemic transformation of the social sector, which is important both for ensuring a decent standard of living for citizens in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine and for Ukraine's fulfilment of its obligations to the Council of Europe.
The event was organised by the Council of Europe projects “Strengthening the social dimension in Ukraine” and “Support to Ukraine in implementation of the Council of Europe standards on the judiciary”, which are being implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine "Resilience, Recovery and Rebuilding" for 2023-2026, as well as the project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine (Partnership for Good Governance III Ukraine)”, which is being implemented under the joint EU-Council of Europe programme "Partnership for Good Governance", Phase III.
