Two years of Ukraine’s administrative procedure reform: EU-supported step towards EU integration

Two years of application of the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure” (LAP), Ukrainian institutions and EU partners recognised visible progress with implementation of this important EU accession milestone. This Law took nearly two decades to develop and is already changing everyday interactions between the state, citizens and businesses – making state and local government administrative decisions more transparent, predictable and balanced.

This reform concerns millions of administrative procedural decisions and services provided by the authorities each month. The Law is a cornerstone of Ukraine’s Public Administration Reform and a key commitment of Ukraine on its EU accession track, namely part of the Custer 1 on the EU Fundamentals. It introduces European standards of good administration, strengthens legal certainty, and provides enforceable procedural guarantees for individuals and businesses. Two years into implementation, the priority is shifting from legal adoption to country-wide practice. Over 61 000 Ukrainian officials have increased their knowledge and were trained on LAP in recent years, including with EU support.

On 20 January 2026, a high-level round table in Kyiv brought together over 70 participants from central and local public authorities, the judiciary, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, academia, and the expert community. For the first time, representatives of the executive, legislative and judicial branches jointly reflected on implementation and the tangible impact of the reform through the Law’s growing impact on administrative and judicial practice.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, with the support of the European Union through the projects Continued Support to Comprehensive Public Administration Reform in Ukraine (EU4PAR2) and Pravo-Justice.

Participants underlined that the Law is a practical reform with direct relevance and implications for everyday life of citizens and businesses. It affects how permits are issued, benefits are granted, inspections are conducted and administrative decisions are taken—helping ensure transparent procedures, predictable outcomes and effective protection of rights. Full implementation is essential both for strengthening trust in public institutions and for advancing Ukraine’s alignment with the European administrative space.

Discussions highlighted the need for continued, coordinated efforts to align sectoral legislation—particularly in the tax, customs, land and digital fields—with the requirements of the Law, and for ongoing monitoring of its application across all levels of public administration. Participants also underlined the importance of sustained dialogue between the executive, legislative and judicial branches to support consistent interpretation and implementation.

Special attention was given to the Law’s emerging role in judicial practice. Namely, over one thousand court cases have already applied its provisions, pointing to the gradual formation of a more stable and predictable case law and reinforcing the Law’s role as a common procedural framework for public administration and courts.

Asier Santillán, Head of the European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society Section of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, stressed the Law’s strategic importance for EU integration: “Full implementation of the Law ‘On Administrative Procedure’ remains a key priority on Ukraine’s path to EU membership. In the latest EU Enlargement Report, we noted significant progress in implementing the Law, despite the extreme pressures of the war. Today’s event is an excellent opportunity not only to acknowledge this progress, but also to reaffirm the EU’s strong support for a reform that is fundamental for the EU integration process. The Law reflects the values underpinning the European administrative space, as enshrined in Article 41 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. It is a practical reform and a signal of Ukraine’s alignment with the European standards of public administration, making the rights of citizens and businesses real and tangible in their day-to-day interaction with the state.”

Liudmyla Kravchenko, the Deputy Minister of the Justice Ministry said: “The two years of implementation of the Law ‘On Administrative Procedure’ have taken place under the extremely challenging conditions of a full-scale war. The Ministry of Justice performed two key roles: on the one hand, coordinating the implementation of the Law by other public authorities, and on the other, ensuring its application within its own activities. Among the important results is the establishment of the first complaints review commissions. Using the Anti-Raiding Office as an example, a functioning model for such commissions was developed and subsequently rolled out to other ministries and six regions (Chernihiv, Donetsk, Zakarpattia, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy and Chernivtsi), enabling citizens to resolve disputes effectively through out-of-court mechanisms”.

She also emphasised that the Ministry of Justice has carried out extensive work to align the regulatory framework with the Law of Ukraine “On Administrative Procedure”, reviewing and updating more than 216 regulatory acts. In parallel, systematic monitoring of the Law’s application in the internal regulations of executive authorities is ongoing.

The European Union reaffirmed its continued support to Ukraine in implementing the Law on Administrative Procedure as one of the foundational reforms underpinning good governance, rule of law and Ukraine’s progress towards the EU membership.

Background information: 

More information on the Law “On administrative procedure”: https://adminprocedure.org.ua/    

More information on the Public Administration Reform: https://par.in.ua/

Continued Support to Comprehensive Reform of Public Administration in Ukraine (EU4PAR2) is an EU-funded project which supports the Government of Ukraine in implementing the Strategy of Public Administration Reform. It provides advisory, capacity development and hands-on support to the Government in the implementation of Public Administration Reform. The project aims to help build accountable, capable and efficient public administration in Ukraine.

The EU-funded Project Pravo-Justice promotes greater rule of law in Ukraine, in line with European standards and comparative practices.

Contact Information:

For more information please contact Iryna Sweere, EU4PAR2 Expert: iryna.sweere@gmail.com