European Union law tutors: Ukrainian judges are drawing on Sweden’s experience on the path to European integration

Between 14 and 17 June 2026, a delegation of Ukrainian judges undertook a study visit to leading institutions of the Swedish legal system in Stockholm (Kingdom of Sweden). The event was organised as part of the Train4EU educational and research project – ‘Preparing Ukrainian legal professionals for integration into the European Union’s legal framework’ – which is being implemented by the Law Institute at Örebro University and funded by the Swedish Institute.

The programme for the visit included working meetings, lectures and professional discussions at the Swedish National Court Administration, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden, the Swedish Prosecution Authority, the Swedish Bar Association, and other legal institutions.

The participants focused primarily on issues relating to the application of European Union law by Swedish courts, the procedure for making preliminary rulings to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the implementation and application of the Court of Justice’s case law in national legal practice, and the role of the public prosecution service and the bar in ensuring the rule of law in the context of a state’s membership of the European Union.

The delegation comprised representatives of the Ukrainian judiciary, including Yehor Krasnov, a judge of the Supreme Court serving at the Commercial Court of Cassation, and Olga Balatska, a judge at the Rivne City Court in Rivne Oblast.

The visit to Stockholm marked the first international training event under the two-year Train4EU programme, which aims to prepare Ukrainian judges for working in the context of Ukraine’s future membership of the European Union.

The project will result in the creation of a network of trained tutors specialising in European Union law, who will deliver bespoke training courses for judges. Such programmes will help to raise the professional standards of the judiciary, deepen knowledge of the EU legal system and strengthen the institutional capacity of Ukraine’s judicial system in the process of European integration.

The participation of Ukrainian judges in international educational initiatives is an important step towards the implementation of European legal standards and strengthening the readiness of the national legal system to function fully within the legal framework of the European Union.