Within the Programmatic Cooperation Framework between the European Union and the Council of Europe for the Eastern Partnership countries Joint EU-CoE Programme “Strengthening the Implementation of the European Human Rights Standards in Ukraine” has started its third year of implementation. The Project activity is focused on three directions: support of the police reform and fight against ill-treatment and impunity; strengthening the Ombudsperson’s Office operational capacities in Ukraine (ill-treatment in places of deprivation of liberty, non-discrimination and data protection); and implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights.   

On 17 February 2017 Project team presented achievements of 2016 and challenges met during the implementation of the Project’s work plan, as well as discussed together with the key stakeholders plans for the current year.

Project has equally concentrated its efforts both on supporting development/adaptation of legal framework to bring it closer to European human rights standards so as on enhancement of operational capacity of the key state institutions involved in human rights protection activity. In particular, the following achievements should be mentioned:

Under support of the Project the exerts of the Council of Europe provided legal opinions and recommendations to several draft legal acts among which draft laws “On operative search activities”, “On amendments to several legislative acts of Ukraine  introducing the provisions on criminal misdemeanour offences”, “On Disciplinary code of the National police”, “On private detective activities”. Draft amendments to the Law of Ukraine on “Personal Data Protection” were improved as a result of expert recommendations offered by the Council of Europe. Expert advices on legislative improvements of the existing  regulation on antidiscrimination expertise of the draft legal acts were provided;

Training curricula mainstreamed by the human rights aspects within all courses developed within the framework of the Project for the newly recruited police staff including Human Rights Directorate before the National police of Ukraine. More than 2700 investigators of the National police Ukraine successfully completed these courses;

 European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) has been enriched with three more courses for Ukrainian lawyers (will be available online till summer 2017). Course “Introduction to the European Convention on human rights and the European Court of human rights” is available to everyone following the link  https://goo.gl/kzUsrp

2017 will be the year of continuous fruitful cooperation between the Project and the National police of Ukraine, Ombudsperson’s Office, National School of Judges and National Bar Association of Ukraine, as well as civil society organisations.