Ukraine highly
appreciates the importance of the European Court of Human Rights and realizes
its unique role as a tool of control over implementation of the European
Convention on Human Rights. Volodymyr
Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, made the foregoing statement, meeting Jean-Paul
Costa, President of the European Court of Human Rights.
V.Lytvyn welcomes the stance of the President of the European Court of Human Rights towards strengthening of the importance and role of the national parliaments in the observance of human rights in line with the international standards. He stated that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine should strengthen its role as to the protection of human rights in legislative and practical respect.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine emphasized that Ukraine realizes that the number of claims to the European Court of Human Rights will not fall, unless drastic domestic reforms are implemented to strengthen the national tools of human rights protection, and the judicial system is improved." "We want to make fewer problems for the European Court of Human Rights," the Head of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed.
In his turn, Jean-Paul Costa attached great importance to his visit to Ukraine which joined the European Convention on Human Rights more than 40 years ago. He stated that for the past 14 years Ukraine has considerably improved observance of human rights, but much is still to be done. He informed that the European Court of Human Rights will render legal and technical assistance to Ukraine in part of human rights protection. "I realize the financial and other difficulties, so it is not easy to adopt new laws on this subject, but the Court and the Council of Europe do not demand the impossible," Jean-Paul Costa admitted.
V.Lytvyn stated,
"Ukraine realizes the importance of effective implementation and observance of
the European Convention on Human Rights." However, he emphasized that
human rights is a global, not a local, issue.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that legislative resolutions should match the economic capacities of the state, so that the government could fulfill its social commitments. "There should be a general discussion of the immediate aims and long-term goals," V.Lytvyn stated.
He also called for raising the level of legal awareness of Ukrainian citizens and using all possibilities of the national judicial system to reduce the number of claims to the European Court of Human Rights. To tackle the issues of human rights, public confidence in the judicial system should be restored.
The Head of the Parliament thanked the distinguished guest for his participation in the international workshop conference "Implementation of Practice of the European Court for Human Rights in the Legal Framework of Ukraine."