The Constitutional Court of Ukraine Studies European Standards for the Protection of Social Rights

Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, during a working visit to the Kingdom of Belgium, discussed with European colleagues current issues of constitutional justice, protection of social rights, and the application of European standards in this field.

As reported by the CCU, Acting Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Petryshyn and judges Oleksandr Vodyannikov, Oksana Hryshchuk, Viktor Kychun, Vasyl Lemak, Alla Oliinyk, Oleh Pervomaiskyi, and Halyna Yurovska participated in working meetings with representatives of the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Belgium, the Court of Cassation of the Kingdom of Belgium, and the European Committee of Social Rights. The events took place from May 27 to 31, 2026, in Brussels.

Within the visit, a professional discussion was held with the President of the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Belgium Pierre Niulet, President of the Constitutional Court of the Kingdom of Belgium Josephine Murman, as well as judges of this Court Denny Peters and Yasmin Kerbakhe, during which participants discussed the key principles of the activities of constitutional courts of both countries, their role in ensuring the supremacy of the constitution, protecting human rights, and maintaining constitutional balance in a democratic state. The focus was on exchanging experience regarding the application of social guarantees in constitutional justice, particularly in the areas of the right to social protection, labor rights, and ensuring proportionality of state intervention in the social sphere.

The delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine held a working meeting with the President of the Court of Cassation of the Kingdom of Belgium Eric de Formanoir, judges of the Court of Cassation of the Kingdom of Belgium Bruno Litert and Eva Van Hoorde, as well as Advocate General Henry Vanderlinden. Participants focused on current challenges in applying the European Social Charter in judicial practice, the effectiveness of judicial protection of social rights, harmonizing national approaches with European standards, and the importance of inter-institutional dialogue.

The visit program also included a meeting with a member of the European Committee of Social Rights with the participation of Olivier de Schutter, during which the practice of constitutional courts and other constitutional control bodies of the states parties to the European Social Charter regarding the application of the European Committee of Social Rights’ practice was reviewed. Special attention was paid to the practice of the European Committee of Social Rights in interpreting the Charter as a "living instrument," as well as the Committee’s latest conclusions and decisions concerning Ukraine.

The final stage of the visit was an expert discussion with the participation of the Council of Europe’s national consultant and the national expert of the European Union expert network MoveS Alla Fedorova, dedicated to the practice of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine in the field of protecting social rights in the context of European integration, during which the importance of ensuring constitutional guarantees, taking into account European standards, and maintaining a balance between the state's response to modern challenges and the duty to respect, protect, and guarantee human rights was emphasized.

The mentioned events, held within the framework of the Council of Europe Project "Further Support for Constitutional Justice Reforms in Ukraine," implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023–2026 "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction," are aimed at deepening professional dialogue in the field of social rights protection, exchanging experience between the constitutional jurisdictions of Ukraine and Belgium, particularly regarding the application of the European Committee of Social Rights’ practice.

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