Civil society coalition prepares Shadow Report on Ukraine’s progress in European integration – ZMINA analyzes human rights situation
Within the framework of the EU Project Pravo-Justice grant, implemented by Expertise France, a coalition of civil society organisations — the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, Transparency International Ukraine, Human Rights Center ZMINA, Tomorrow’s Lawyer, the Ukrainian Bar Association, and European Pravda — a new cycle of monitoring and assessing Ukraine’s progress in European integration under Chapters 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” and 24 “Justice, Freedom and Security”. These Chapters are part of Cluster 1 “Fundamentals,” which is key to the entire negotiation process for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
The results of monitoring and assessing Ukraine’s progress under both Chapters will be presented in the 2025 Shadow Report. This report will contain:
- an analysis of the progress made by Ukraine under Chapters 23 and 24, starting from the publication of the European Commission’s Report on Ukraine in 2024 for each area, and for Chapter 23 – also concerning the recommendations provided in the 2024 Shadow Report;
- a detailed analysis of the problems that have arisen in the reform process for each area of both Chapters;
- description of the current state of affairs in the areas of state policy under Chapter 24 in general and in some areas under Chapter 23 (which were not the focus of the previous monitoring) from the perspective of civil society.
In addition, the report will focus on the following issues:
- what has been done in each area during the monitoring period;
- to what extent has what been done allows the achievement of the set goals;
- to what extent does it meet the expectations of society.
“A special part of the 2025 shadow report will contain specific and practical recommendations from the coalition on solving the identified problems in each area, which will form the guidelines for further state policy in each direction“, – says Svitlana Matvienko, executive director of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives, about the report.
Particular attention of the coalition members, within the framework of monitoring and assessing Ukraine’s progress, will be paid to the analysis of the state of:
- Ukraine’s implementation of the recommendations provided by the European Commission in the reports on Ukraine in 2023–2024 and the first screening report of Cluster 1, “Fundamentals of the EU accession process”;
- taking into account by the state authorities responsible for the implementation of relevant state policies, the recommendations of the public set out in the Shadow Report to Chapter 23 “Judiciary and Fundamental Rights” of the European Commission’s Report on Ukraine in 2023.
“As last year, ZMINA, in cooperation with experts from other human rights organizations, will provide the most relevant overview of the human rights situation in the context of Ukraine’s European integration, as well as related recommendations“, – says Tetyana Pechonchyk, Head of the ZMINA Human Rights Centre. – “In addition to the wide range of topics in the 23rd chapter, this year we will also add issues of combating human trafficking, migration and providing asylum to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as the investigation of war crimes and terrorist attacks by the Russian Federation in the context of armed aggression“.
“The preparation of shadow reports is an important tool for countries aspiring to the EU, as it is an independent assessment of real progress in fulfilling the membership criteria. This year, we supported the expansion of monitoring not only to Chapter 23 but also to Chapter 24, which together cover key areas of Cluster 1 — “Fundamentals of the EU Accession Process”. It is important that the Shadow Report shows not only changes in legislation but also how they work in practice and becomes a guideline for further reforms. For the EU Project Pravo-Justice, supporting such an initiative is a contribution to strengthening the role of civil society in the European integration process and increasing the effectiveness of reforms“, – emphasized Oksana Tsymbrivska, Team Leader of the EU Project Pravo-Justice.
The Shadow Report within the framework of the project will be prepared by the end of September 2025.
For reference
The Agency for Legislative Initiatives (ALI) is a leading independent Ukrainian think tank whose activities are aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of the Parliament and Government, continuing European and Euro-Atlantic integration, supporting the stabilisation and reconstruction of Ukraine to overcome the aftermaths of the Russian Federation’s aggression, monitoring and backing reforms in justice and security, political and civic awareness-raising.
Transparency International Ukraine (TI Ukraine) is an accredited chapter of the global movement Transparency International. The organisation takes a comprehensive approach to implementing changes to reduce corruption in specific areas: it helped to create and subsequently transferred to the state of Prozorro, Prozorro.Sale, eHealth and ProZvit systems. TI Ukraine has also implemented the City Transparency and Accountability Rankings, built the DOZORRO community to monitor public procurement, and co-founded the RISE Ukraine coalition to promote the principles of integrity and efficiency in reconstruction.
ZMINA Human Rights Centre – The Centre is engaged in information, educational, monitoring, analytical, and advocacy activities in human rights. It protects human rights defenders and civil society activists in Ukraine, including those in occupied Crimea. Following the onset of large-scale Russian aggression, ZMINA, together with 38 other CSOs, created the “Ukraine 5 AM” Coalition, which documents war crimes and aims to protect the victims of Russia’s armed aggression in Ukraine and bring to justice the top leadership of the Russian Federation as well as the direct perpetrators of these war crimes.
Tomorrow’s Lawyer is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the institutional development of justice to strengthen the rule of law and protect human rights. Since 2016, the NGO has been researching state policy and the state of affairs in the justice sector while also developing recommendations for their improvement and advancement. A key priority of the organisation is the professional development of the legal community.
The Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA) is an all-Ukrainian non-governmental organisation founded in 2002. It currently unites more than 8,000 lawyers. The Association’s activities include promoting the development of the legal profession, improving legislation, implementing ethical standards, and protecting the professional rights of its members and human rights in general.
European Pravda is an independent Ukrainian media outlet specialising in covering news on European issues and Ukraine’s European integration.
The EU Project Pravo-Justice is a technical assistance project implemented by Expertise France with the financial support of the European Union.
After the victory of the Revolution of Dignity, the EU Project Pravo-Justice became one of the drivers in promoting the rule of law in Ukraine, bringing the country’s legislative framework into line with European standards, developing a strategic vision for reforms, judicial reform, proper enforcement of court decisions, etc.
