This is the last issue of Access to Justice in Eastern Europe in 2021, a year of great expectations and challenges. A hybrid form of existence – online and offline – occupies our lives, and we face a completely new reality. At the same time, this year is a year of great achievements, which I am delighted to share.
The issue opens with the article of Remco Van Rhee, who has played an important role in Ukrainian justice development in recent years through his participation in various projects and activities. This time, he turned his attention to mandatory mediation before litigation and the kaleidoscope of European best practices, providing a deep understanding of what mediation is and why it should be mandatory.
A fresh and interesting perspective on Polish-Ukrainian legal services was prepared by Stanisław Lipiec, a young researcher, who raised incredibly important issues of interrelations between Ukrainian and Polish legal advisers and made a prognosis regarding requests for legal services in both our states in the coming years.
The uncommon but important and interesting topic of Inna Boyko’s research article is related to precedent in international adjudication. A deep analysis of international court decisions combined with theoretical approaches makes this study worth the attention of our readers.
The last research article, written by Olga Donets, concerned issues of natural resources and human rights. The pandemic has made us more aware of our relationship with the environment, and this article is a witness to the increasing interest of the scholarly community in issues of environmental rights protection in their entirety.
A few notes have also been included in this issue due to their interesting insights and importance for further research.
