On 8 July 2026, as part of the cooperation between the Research Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine, an educational webinar entitled “International Perspectives on Criminal Law as a Means of Protecting State Security and Criminal Proceedings in Absentia” was held. The webinar was delivered by Mari-Ann Roos, Senior Adviser on Legal Reform at EUAM Ukraine and Senior Judge of Appeal (Sweden), and Anu Välimäki, Senior Adviser on Legal Reform at EUAM Ukraine and Judge of the District Court (Finland).

The webinar explored international approaches to the protection of state security through criminal law in the context of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and transitional justice. Particular attention was paid to the international legal aspects of criminal liability for collaboration and to criminal law mechanisms for safeguarding state security.

The webinar also examined international standards governing criminal proceedings in absentia, as developed in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union. In particular, the speakers addressed the guarantees of a fair trial, the adequate notification of the accused, the right to a retrial, and the application of these standards in criminal proceedings involving persons located in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.