Remarks by
Ambassador William B. Taylor
on Press Conference on U.S. Government's Assistance
to the Economic Courts of Ukraine: Registry of Judicial Decisions
August 3, 2006
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, Acting Chairman of the Economic Courts Serhiy Demchenko.
I am pleased to be here with you to mark a notable step forward for Ukraine in its efforts to make its judicial system more open and fair. And as the chairman just said, to improve the system of justice here in Ukraine. We are sure that new government that was announced early this morning will be committed to exactly these goals that you have just described. We in the United States government, including USAID -- the sponsor this work today, look forward to working with the new government as it takes office in the next few days. We are eager and looking forward to getting down to work.
The Registry of Judicial Decisions makes economic court practices transparent and accessible to the public through the wide publication of court decisions on the Internet. More than 42,000 -- although the chairman said, more than 47,000 -- economic court decisions are now freely available, and searchable via the High Economic Court's website. This is a dramatic step towards solidifying democratic values and institutions. It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to demonstrate the United States' recognition and support of this important change.
A judicial system is in many ways the institution that most directly affects the lives of Ukraine's citizens and businesses. Every day the courts help average people, normal people, to resolve their disputes and conflicts in a civilized and orderly fashion.
By underscoring transparency and publishing all court decisions, the economic courts demonstrate their commitment to serving the interests of citizens, and show that they have nothing to hide. This helps to increase public trust in the courts.
Access to judicial practice also benefits the economy. Armed with better information, businesses can plan future activities with more certainty and reduce their risk of going to court. With a lighter case load, judges will be able to resolve pending disputes more quickly, thus, increasing court efficiency and the public's confidence in the judicial system.
Transparent judicial processes and the confidence they build help to increase domestic investment, attract foreign investment, and limit the costs of unnecessary business litigation.
The registry will increase the confidence that investors and business leaders have in the courts, and contribute to greater consistency in judicial practice.
Reforming the courts is a continuing challenge much discussed in Ukraine. Today it is clear that the economic courts are adopting international best practices and making themselves more accountable to the public they serve.
The United States Government is proud to have provided assistance to the High Economic Court in achieving this task. Our support will continue. We will provide improved software applications and additional computer hardware to help the economic courts publish all economic court decisions on the Internet.
We are also pleased to announce that the USAID Commercial Law Center Project recently conducted a tender for purchasing powerful servers that will be installed in each economic court in Ukraine. This computer equipment will support the use of the new computerized case management system, improving the courts' efficiency by randomly and automatically assigning cases among judges. The equipment will also enable the courts to constantly update their web-site with recent opinions of all economic courts. Although the final contract for this equipment is not yet signed, we anticipate concluding it in the nearest future.
We thank you for your interest in this important issue, and look forward to your questions.