On October 17-18, 2025, the Third School of Administrative Procedure was held in Kyiv with the support of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. It was a platform for in-depth dialogue, joint reflection, and practical exchange of experience on the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure” (LAP) and the role of administrative procedure in the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
The LAP is one of the key laws within the framework of public administration reform, as it establishes general rules for all areas of public administration, thereby increasing the transparency, efficiency, and predictability of administrative procedures, and it is also a fundamental element in harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with European standards of good governance.
The School aims to promote professional convergence between legal theory and administrative practice, to develop a common understanding of the application of the Law in various sectors, and to contribute to the further improvement of legal education and the development of legislation in Ukraine.
The event brought together more than 50 participants: teachers and researchers from leading law schools in Ukraine, judges, public servants, international and Ukrainian experts, specialists from European Union countries and candidates for EU membership.
Oleksandr Banchuk, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, opened the event by emphasizing the importance of discussing Ukraine’s experience in applying administrative procedure in the context of the experience of other European countries, both EU member states and candidates for EU membership. In addition, he noted that discussions on the impact of the LAP on judicial practice, the implementation of administrative procedures in terms of digitalisation and e-services, and the experience of applying the LAP in the activities of local self-government bodies are important for ensuring citizens’ rights to good governance.
“At the same time, I would like to point out that the School is being held for the third consecutive year, and we have achieved certain results from each School. For example, after the previous event, the Law of Ukraine ”On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine in Connection with the Adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure” (No. 4017-IX) was adopted in its entirety. So for me, this is not just a discussion, but a kind of reporting to colleagues on how we are transforming legislation in accordance with the principles, foundations, and provisions of the LAP. So I hope that next year we will be able to talk about new achievements related to the implementation of this Law,” – said Oleksandr Banchuk.
Asier Santillán, the Head of Section European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, noted that this event demonstrates how the public service, the judiciary, academics, and international partners can work together on an issue that is not only legally important but also central to Ukraine’s European integration path. He emphasized that the LAP is one of the cornerstones of public administration reform, which belongs to the “Fundamentals” cluster in the EU enlargement process. This law regulates how the state interacts with citizens and businesses, and also concerns the values of the European administrative space enshrined in Article 41 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. For Ukraine, the LAP is part of a deeper transformation towards European administrative and legal culture. At the same time, the representative of the EU Delegation to Ukraine noted that important work still lies ahead and requires further efforts by the government and parliament in the process of implementing the Law.
Speaking on behalf of the Ukraine2EU Program, the head of Component 2, Deividas Kriaučiūnas, noted that one of the areas of activity of the Program, which began its work in January this year, is to bring Ukrainian legislation into line with European Union law. At the same time, as the speaker emphasized, in the field of national administrative procedures, the task is not so much to implement EU directives as to harmonize approaches with the general principles of EU law. He stressed that the rights guaranteed by EU law to citizens and businesses will only have real value if they can be effectively implemented. Therefore, in order to prevent them from becoming “dead norms,” it is important to focus both on the implementation of EU law and its proper application. Consequently, administrative procedures must comply with one of the fundamental principles of EU law, the principle of effectiveness, which requires that procedural rules be applied in such a way as to ensure the effective exercise and protection of the rights granted. He added that national courts, in particular administrative courts, play a special role in this process. He stressed that after joining the European Union, Ukrainian courts will become part of the EU judicial system, which makes the harmonization of national procedures with European standards critically important today. The speaker expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the School for the opportunity to participate in this event, calling it an important step forward in preparing for Ukraine’s future obligations as an EU member state.
Artem Shaipov, the head of the legal and political advisory team of the GIZ project “Strengthening Ukraine’s EU Accession in the Rule of Law” (3*E4U), noted: “This school is a great opportunity to discuss the challenges arising from the implementation of the LAP. And I am extremely pleased that part of these discussions, particularly within the framework of this school, involves the academic community – colleagues who educate future lawyers in Ukraine and shape their worldview, providing them with knowledge and specific skills so that future practitioners can properly fulfill their duties in civil society. Finally, I would like to wish all participants fruitful discussions, so that this School becomes another step towards a better understanding, raising awareness of the LAP, and establishing cooperation with institutions and universities that play a very important role in the implementation of this law.”
Ugis Siks, the head of the project “Continued Support to Comprehensive Reform of Public Administration in Ukraine” (EU4PAR), thanked the team and partners for organizing the event and emphasized the value of the LAP for society and the state.
“The Law on Administrative Procedure is, first and foremost, about balancing public and private interests in the interaction between individuals and local government bodies and state institutions. The implementation of this law is a sign of the state’s maturity. Your work is an important contribution to helping Ukraine become more mature in its relations with its citizens. Even if challenges arise in the process of implementing the provisions of the LAP, this is normal, because changing the culture of interaction between the state and citizens and businesses is not an easy task. But there are already positive results, and this motivates us to continue working,” – emphasized the head of EU4PAR.
The School’s program covered topical issues related to the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure.”
In particular, participants discussed the place of the LAP in Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and learned about the experience of EU member states in implementing administrative procedures. Besmir Beja, Secretary-General at the Ministry of Finance of Albania, and Dr. Aleksandar-Andrija Pejovic, former Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro, spoke about approaches to the implementation of administrative procedures in EU countries.
Particular attention was paid to the issues of harmonizing the provisions of the LAP with other laws and regulations, as well as the challenges of its implementation in the digital environment.
During the discussions, participants considered how administrative procedures affect relations between public administration and business, what opportunities the pre-trial appeal mechanism opens up, and how to ensure the effective application of the LAP in the activities of local self-government bodies. Judges of the Supreme Court and district administrative courts shared their observations on the impact of the LAP on judicial practice and the challenges of its application.
An important part of the program was the exchange of experience in teaching administrative procedure in law schools in Ukraine and the EU. Participants discussed ways to update curricula and teaching methods in order to combine academic approaches with the practical implementation of good governance principles.
The event was moderated by:
- Iryna Boyko – PhD in Law, Associate Professor at the Department of Administrative Law of the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University
- Viktor Tymoshchuk – PhD in Law, Senior Research Fellow at the V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Deputy Head of the Board of the Centre of Policy and Legal Reform
- Andriy Shkolyk – Doctor of Law, Professor of the Department of Administrative and Financial Law, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
The event was organized jointly by the EU project “Continued Support to Comprehensive Reform of Public Administration in Ukraine” (EU4PAR2), the Ukraine2EU Program, the Regional Project to Support Public Administration Reform in the Eastern Partnership Countries III and the project “Strengthening Ukraine’s EU Accession in the Rule of Law” (3*E4U), implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). The school is held with the support of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
For reference
The Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure” came into force on December 15, 2023. It establishes uniform standards and a clear procedure for interaction between government agencies and citizens and businesses, which will help ensure the legality, openness, and transparency of administrative procedures and increase the efficiency of executive bodies and other authorities. More about the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure”: https://adminprocedure.org.ua/