AMU Round Table in Kiev on the topic of the Rule of Law

Kiev, 22 July 2015. The AMU today held its fourth Round Table in Ukraine, in the Ukrainian House in Kiev. The Chairman was Lord Macdonald QC, member of the British House of Lords, former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) of England and Wales and Deputy High Court Judge.

Rule of law as a contribution to national security

As a result of his workstream meeting a range of stakeholders from across the country, Lord Macdonald believes that shortcomings in the rule of law could be fatal to Ukraine’s future. "Without the proper functioning of the rule of law, Ukrainian independence is an unfinished project. Its absence has led to impunity and corruption. It has ruined peoples' lives and compromised the reputation of a whole generation of judges, law enforcement agents and public servants. None of these participants has done enough to protect the rule of law. The political and business classes have been too willing to denigrate it. A country that lacks the rule of law cannot win external investment confidence, and it cannot be a place of internal freedom and human dignity. This is not simply an issue of EU integration, but of national realisation. Its correction serves the protection of human rights, but also national security and geographical integrity".

Action on the way to a functioning rule of law

Macdonald is looking at a number of fields of action that will also be included in the programme for the modernisation of Ukraine. One of these is that the judicial system must embody the utmost independence, dignity and quality. Currently, the reputation of the judiciary in the country is severely tarnished. In addition, the law enforcement agencies would have to open themselves up to a competitive recruitment process and act in an accountable, professional and independent manner. Civil justice has to be simplified and deregulated. The criminal justice system has to commit itself to protect human rights. As well as this Roundtable today, he met with a number of independent civil society lawyers yesterday. He said, "It is this generation of talented lawyers who have not been corrupted by the system that will ultimately be the ones that can cleanse it".

An absence of the rule of law is keeping foreign investors away

AMU President Michael Spindelegger: "The AMU shares the opinion of Lord Macdonald that a non-functioning rule of law in Ukraine will keep foreign investors away. Investors are, however, what the country needs. The many results of today's Round Table will be incorporated into the programme for the modernisation of Ukraine that we will be presenting to the general public in Ukraine and Western Europe in the autumn of 2015."

The next Round Table on 29 July 2015 is devoted to the topic of the economy. It will be headed up by Waldemar Pawlak.

About the AMU

The Agency for the Modernisation of Ukraine (AMU) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with its registered office in Vienna. Renowned former and active politicians, scientists and experts from Europe are active on behalf of the AMU, working together with the Ukrainian civil society to devise solutions for Ukraine's future. The goal is to support Ukraine from an economic and democratic perspective and accompany the country into a modern future. www.amukraine.org

Press photos from today's Round Table are available for download from: www.amukraine.org/news

Contact for enquiries:

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e-mail: bernhard.schragl@amukraine.org