31/05/2016 President
Strasbourg, 31.05.2016 - Ahead of the announced vote in the Verkhovna Rada on constitutional amendments relating to the reform of the judiciary, Pedro Agramunt, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), today made the following statement:
“During my recent visit to Kyiv, I assured the Ukrainian authorities of the Assembly’s continued support for the reform process.
The Assembly has repeatedly stressed that reform of the judiciary is needed to consolidate the rule of law in Ukraine and to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions. Its success is essential for the effective completion of reforms in other sectors, as well as to restore public confidence in the work of judges and the courts.
The successful completion of judicial reform cannot be achieved without a solid constitutional framework. Ahead of the announced vote in the Verkhovna Rada, I call on all members of the Rada, across the board, to approve the constitutional amendments relating to the reform of the judiciary prepared by the Constitutional Commission and supported by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.
Now is the time to deliver concrete results."