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Personal data protection in constitutional jurisdiction: tailored activities

Two events dedicated to personal data protection in constitutional jurisdiction, were organised on 22 and 23 April 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance.

The Round table held on 22 April focused on personal data protection in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union, as well as the bodies of constitutional jurisdiction of the Council of Europe member states. It was tailored for the judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

Participants exchanged views on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union (concerning data protection with a view to constitutional jurisdiction, focusing on data verification and legal standards and practice of unified database); as well as on data protection in the constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine with a view of the best practices the Council of Europe member states.

The Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Serhiy HOLOVATY, judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine – Galyna YUROVSKA, Vasyl LEMAK, Oleh PERVOMAISKYI, Viktor GORODOVENKO, and Viktor KYCHUN, and staff members of the Court’s Secretariat participated in the discussion.

On 23 April 2024, a workshop on personal data protection in constitutional jurisdiction gathered the staff of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The workshop was dedicated to issues of personal data protection relevant to staff members of the Secretariat and Patronage Service of Ukraine and focused on:

  • Data Protection in Constitutional Jurisdiction: The Irish Experience within the European Union;
  • Personal data protection in the case law of the Latvian Constitutional Court; and
  • Presentation on data protection in constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine, including vis-à-vis familiarisation with the case file, provision of copies of documents, data processing.

Viktor BESCHASTNYI, Head of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Larysa Biriuk, the First Deputy Head of the Secretariat, Head of Department for organisation of work of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and 40 staff members of the Court’s Secretariat and Patronage Service attended the workshop.

The European Union and the Council of Europe are working jointly in the framework of their Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) to support the development of constitutional justice and strengthen the functioning of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in line with European standards. Through the PGG project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine” they contribute to more efficient procedures and increased quality of legal interpretation with due regard to the applicable standards, including those based on the European Convention on Human Rights and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.


The PGG Project “Support to development of the constitutional justice in Ukraine” is implemented within the third Phase of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Partnership for Good Governance”. The project implementation is linked to the previous involvement of the Council of Europe in Ukraine, including through the Partnership for Good Governance in the field of strengthening justice (Phase I 2015-2018 and Phase II 2019-2023).

Kyiv, Ukraine 22-23 April 2024
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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