European law at your fingertips: how a judge’s work is changing

On 23–24 April 2026, the National School of Judges of Ukraine, with the support of the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), held a two-day training seminar for judges entitled ‘Access to EU legal information and the effective use of web-based tools and resources on EU law’.

The event brought together judges, representatives of the judiciary and experts in European law to discuss the practical aspects of working with European Union legal resources in the context of Ukraine’s European integration.

The keynote speakers at the event were Adam Lazowski, Professor of EU Law at the Westminster School of Law, University of Westminster, and Juan Diego Ramírez-Cárdenas Díaz, Senior Legal Expert at EIPA (Luxembourg).

On the first day of the seminar, participants discussed the significance of EU law for Ukrainian judges in the context of Ukraine’s future membership of the European Union. Attention was focused on the impact of the EU acquis on the adjudication of civil, commercial and criminal cases, as well as on practical examples of the application of European judicial cooperation instruments in Ukrainian judicial practice.

A separate training module was devoted to working with the EUR-Lex platform. Participants familiarised themselves with the capabilities of quick and advanced searches for EU legislation, learnt how to work with consolidated versions of acts and preparatory documents, and acquired practical skills in using CELEX and ELI identifiers. Experts also demonstrated mechanisms for monitoring EU legislative procedures and working with the Legislative Observatory.

A session on judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters generated particular interest, during which participants were introduced to the capabilities of the European e-Justice Portal and the Judicial Atlas tool. Judges received guidance on identifying competent courts and utilising procedural forms and mechanisms for international legal assistance.

The second day of the seminar was devoted to issues of judicial cooperation in criminal matters. Participants were introduced to the work of the EJN network, the Judicial Atlas, Compendium and Fiches Belges services, as well as the specifics of cooperation with non-EU countries.

The final stage involved exploring the N-Lex tools and mechanisms for verifying the national implementation of EU directives. The speakers paid particular attention to the use of reliable secondary sources of EU law, official publications, analytical platforms, blogs and professional e-reviews.

Participants noted the high practical standard of the seminar and the relevance of the knowledge gained for the day-to-day work of judges as the Ukrainian legal system gradually aligns with European Union standards.