Ukraine needs to urgently launch a comprehensive reform of the Bar

EU Enlargement Report 2025: Ukraine needs to urgently launch a comprehensive reform of the Bar, with the aim to ensure that the bodies of the UNBA are created on the basis of a transparent and credible procedure.

 

On 4 November, the European Commission published 2025 Enlargement Report. For the third year in a row, the European Commission has emphasised the need to reform the legal profession in its annual report. The 2025 report again stresses that no progress has been made in reforming the Bar.

The European Commission’s main comments concern:
• abuses of disciplinary mechanisms against lawyers;
• the inaction of the UNBA in not launched the competition for the HCJ members from its quota;
• self-governing bodies have not held elections, despite their mandates having expired.

The European Commission points out that in coming Year Ukraine should advance the reforms of the Bar with the aim of:
– to ensure that the bodies of the UNBA are created on the basis of a transparent and credible procedure,
– to substantially improve qualifications, admissions,
– to substantially reforming disciplinary procedures;
– to substantially reforming  financial management and continuous training systems.

 

The European Commission’s position on this issue is consistent with the conclusions of the Shadow Report, which confirms the scale and depth of problems in the field of bar self-government and the urgency of reform. The reform of the bar is also part of the Roadmap on the Rule of Law approved by the government. The reform of the bar is a shared responsibility of parliament, the government and, most importantly, the legal community. It is expected that a consistent political and legal framework will be developed, within which lawyers will play a key role in determining the content and quality of these changes.