Ukraine has joined the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Activities of Lawyers
On March 9, 2026, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, Mykola Tochytsky, signed the Council of Europe Convention regulating the protection of the profession of lawyer. Ukraine became the twenty-eighth state to officially accede to this international treaty.
The National Bar Association of Ukraine was informed about the signing by the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to the Council of Europe. The information is also published on the official website of the Council of Europe in the table of signatures and ratifications of the Convention.
The states that have signed the Convention include Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Slovenia.
The Convention, adopted by the Council of Europe in March 2025, establishes uniform standards for the protection of the professional activities of lawyers and includes a mechanism for monitoring their compliance. The signing of the document took place against the backdrop of increasing cases of persecution and pressure on lawyers in various countries, including Ukraine.
As part of preparations for the Convention, the Committee of Experts on the Protection of Lawyers (CJ-AV) was established in 2022, which included experts from Ukraine and other countries. One of the authors of the Convention, Deputy Chairman of the UNBA Valentyn Gvozdiy, took up the position of Vice-President of this committee.
After signing the Convention, Ukraine will continue to harmonize its provisions with national legislation, and the document will enter into force after ratification by the Verkhovna Rada.
