Ukraine to host EBRD pilot online court for small claims

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is launching a pilot project to assist countries in the development of online courts for small claims.

To help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) effectively defend their rights and interests and cut the costs of resolving a commercial dispute, the EBRD will introduce the online courts in the Western Balkans, eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. A first trial is envisaged for Ukraine, where, as an EBRD survey reports, 49 per cent of firms in Kyiv say that courts were a major or very severe obstacle to their operations.

Online courts mean that a dispute resolution proceeding is conducted online by default, starting from claim submission and ending with the delivery of judgment. These courts are accessible directly to litigants and their representatives, and augmented by services and tools to ease access to justice and litigant participation.

As a first step, the EBRD is starting a comprehensive assessment of court performance indicators and standards based on international, European and national best practices, with a focus on commercial courts. The second phase will focus on the concept and implementation plan for the development of online courts in Ukraine, highlighting legal, technical and budgetary prerequisites adapted to the Ukrainian setting. The concept and roadmap in Ukraine will be developed with a view to ensuring replicability in other economies where the EBRD invests.

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Press release