The right to a fair trial which is directly enshrined in cl. 1, Article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms comprises, as its integral element, the principle of trial within a reasonable time. The current Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine (hereinafter – the Ukrainian CCP) contains many novels which in some way or other relate to the issue of observance of a reasonable time of court trials. What is meant here is primarily the entrenchment in civil procedural legislation of the concept “reasonable time” and the reasonableness of trial times as one of the basic principles of civil proceedings, reforms of preparatory proceedings, introduction of simplified proceedings and the institution of dispute resolution with the participation of a judge, regulation of the provisions on inadmissibility of procedural rights abuse to delay the proceedings and liability for such actions. Today, these issues are poorly investigated, and therefore require an analysis in the context of the reforms of civil procedural legislation. The purpose of this article is to analyze the main changes in civil procedural legislation ensuing from the adoption of the Ukrainian Code of Civil Procedure as in force in 2017 which concern the length of court trials and the institutions new for civil procedural legislation which are aimed at procedural economy and at reducing the burden on courts; the article also aims at assessing whether the provisions of the current Ukrainian Code of Civil Procedure comply with the international standards of fair trial. The article specifies the criteria which are taken into account to assess whether a trial time is reasonable, as well as the moment of commencement and end of this time. The author emphasizes that in Ukraine there is a problem of non-execution of court decisions within a reasonable time. A comparison is made of the nature of a reasonable time according to the Ukrainian Code of Civil Procedure as in force in 2004 and the current Code of Civil Procedure of Ukraine. The article reviews the peculiarities of institutions which are new for civil procedural legislation: simplified proceedings, preparatory proceedings, dispute resolution with participation of a judge, and abuse of procedural rights. The author emphasizes that it is essential to introduce a mechanism protecting against actions of a judge which delay the case trial, in particular, to limit the discretionary powers, establish the liability of judges for delaying the trial and provide individuals with a possibility to appeal against illegal actions or omissions by judges which result in an excessive length of the proceedings.

List of legal documents

Legislation

1. Konventsiia pro zakhyst prav liudyny i osnovopolozhnykh svobod vid 4 lystopada 1950 r. URL: http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_004 (accessed: 15.01.2018) (in Ukrainian).

2. Tsyvilnyi protsesualnyi kodeks Ukrainy: Zakon Ukrainy vid 18 bereznia 2004 r. № 1618-IV. Ofitsiinyi visnyk Ukrainy. 2004. № 16 (in Ukrainian).

Cases

3. Bottazzi c. Italy: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 28 juillet 1999 (Requête nо. 34884/97) <http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-62840> accessed 15 January 2018 (in French).

4. Brogan et аuters c. Royaume-Uni: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 29 novembre 1988 (Requête nо. 11209/84 et al.) <http://hudoc. echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-62007> accessed 15 January 2018 (in French).

5. Guincho c. Portugal: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 10 juillet 1984 (Requête nо. 8990/80 et al.) <http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/ eng?i=001-62055> accessed 15 January 2018 (in French).

6. Burmich et аuters c. Ukraine: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 12 octobre 2017 (Requête nо. 46852/13) <http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/ eng?i=001-178082> accessed 15 January 2018 (in French).

7. H. c. France: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 24 octobre 1989 (Requête no10073/82) <http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/rus/pages/ search.aspx?i=001-62060> accessed 15 January 2018 (in French).

8. Hornsby c. Grece: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 19 mars 1997 (Requête nо. 18357/91) <http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-62579> accessed 15 January 2018 (in French).

9. Yuriу Nikolayevich Ivanov c. Ukraine: Jugement de la Cour européenne des Droits de l’Homme, Strasbourg 15 octobre 2009 (Requête nо. 40450/04). <http://hudoc.echr.coe. int/eng?i=001-95032 accessed> 15 January 2018 (in French).

10. Volokhy proty Ukrainy: rishennia Yevropeiskoho sudu z prav liudyny u spravi vid 2 lystopada 2006 r. (zaiava № 23543/02). URL: http://zakon3.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/974_138 (accessed: 15.01.2018) (in Ukrainian).

Bibliography

Authored books

11. Sakara N, Problema dostupnosti pravosuddia u tsyvilnykh spravakh: monografia [The Problem of Access to Justice in Civil Matters: Monograph] (Pravo 2010) (in Ukrainian).

Conference papers

12. Tsuvina T, ‘Vprovadzhennia instytutu prysudovoi mediatsii yak perspektyvnyi napriamok reformuvannia tsyvilnoho protsesualnoho zakonodavstva Ukrainy’ [Introduction of the Institute of Prosecutorial Mediation as a Prospective Direction for the Reform of the Civil Procedural Law of Ukraine], Ukraina na shliakhu do Yevropy: reforma tsyvilnoho protsesualnoho zakonodavstva: v Materialy mizhnarodnoi naukovopraktychnoi konferentsii: zbirnyk naukovykh prats [Ukraine on the Way to Europe: the Reform of Civil Procedural Legislation: Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Conference: Collection of Scientific Works] (I Izarova ta R Khanyk-Pospolitak za zah red, Dakor 2017) (in Ukrainian).

Thesis abstracts

13. Tkachuk O, ‘Realizacija sudovoji vlady u cyviljnomu sudochynstvi Ukrajiny: strukturnofunkcionaljnyj aspekt’ [Realization of Judicial Power in Civil Legal Proceedings of Ukraine: Structural and Functional Aspect] (avtoref dys d-ra juryd nauk, Kharkivskyi nacionalnyi universytet imeni V N Karazina 2016) (in Ukrainian).

Websites

14. European Court of Human Rights. Statistics on Judgments by State <http://www. echr.coe.int/Documents/Stats_pending_2018_BIL.pdf> accessed 1 February 2018 (in English).