On 26 May 2021, the Law of Ukraine No. 1416-IX On Amendment of Some Legislative Acts on the Provision of Gradual Implementation of the United Judicial Information and Telecommunication System came into force, which introduces an 'electronic court' in Ukraine through changes to the Code of Commercial Procedure of Ukraine, Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine, Code of Administrative Procedure of Ukraine and Law of Ukraine On the High Council of Justice.
The idea of the electronic court as a part of the functioning court system in Ukraine appeared in late 2017, and the first attempts to implement this idea with the Unified Judicial Information and Telecommunication System (UJITS) took place in early 2019.
Thus far, the UJITS has not functioned at full capacity due to a number of technical and operational factors.
The main purpose of the Law is to ensure a proper commencement and gradual implementation of the UJITS in judicial bodies by providing technological tools and solutions for enhancement of their efficiency.
Specifically, the establishment of the UJITS will create a single information space for judicial bodies and institutions, allow for remote communication between the court and litigants by exchanging documents electronically, and enable citizens to participate in court proceedings online, which should speed up court proceedings, create transparency and further open up the justice system.
Because the UJITS’s subsystems (i.e. modules) are currently at different stages of readiness, the Law provides for its gradual introduction, which will allow the use of subsystems already in the final stage of development without waiting for the readiness of other subsystems still in the initial stage. A notification will be made on the official portal of the Judiciary of Ukraine when the UJITS’s separate subsystems begin operations.
We believe that the introduction of the UJITS will improve court proceedings and make them more convenient and accessible for court participants, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information on Ukraine's electronic court system, contact your CMS client partner or the following members of CMS's dispute resolution team: Olga Shenk, Maria Orlyk.
Legislation:
Law of Ukraine “On Amendment of Some Legislative Acts on the Provision of Gradual Implementation of the United Judicial Information and Telecommunication System” No. 1416-IX dated 27 April 2021 (in Ukrainian).
