First of all, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine noted that this week Ukraine received a very important decision — the opening of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
At the same time, he noted that the International Conference on the 28th Anniversary of the Constitution of Ukraine is an event organised by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine together with international partners, bringing together scholars and practitioners, and dedicated to the topic: "The Constitution of Ukraine and European Values: Challenges of the European Integration Process".
He expressed his gratitude to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the body of constitutional jurisdiction that defends our Constitution and its supremacy, for organising this International Conference. "This event would not have taken place without the support of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, the OSCE and the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine. I am grateful to our partners for their assistance to Ukraine during the unjust war of the russian federation against the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian people," Ruslan Stefanchuk said.
In his speech, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine outlined the role of the Ukrainian Parliament in the European integration process: "The Parliament of Ukraine has reformed the Constitutional Court and introduced a competitive selection of judges of Ukraine in order to meet the requirements of the European Commission."
Ruslan Stefanchuk also noted that the Ukrainian Parliament has created a new procedure for the competitive selection of CCU judges. And it is under this procedure that a judge of the Constitutional Court is elected and appointed by the Parliament by a constitutional majority.
"The Constitutional Court of Ukraine is becoming a court that is free of any political influence. This is an irreversible process," said the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine.
In addition, he said that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had adopted the Law of Ukraine on Administrative Procedure, the Law of Ukraine on Lawmaking and the Law of Ukraine on Public Consultations: "These acts will also affect the activities of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine."
"The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted many legislative changes necessary for Ukraine's progress towards the EU. There is a lot of work ahead. And we will do it," the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concluded.