Introductory Remarks: Navigating New Legal Paradigms

The first issue of Access to Justice in Eastern Europe in 2026 presents a collection of research from a diverse international cohort of scholars representing Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine. This issue explores the evolving landscape of contemporary justice through four primary lenses: the pursuit of transitional justice and post-mortem dignity; the development of child-sensitive procedural models for the most vulnerable; the regulation of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons; and specialized regional legal challenges in sectors such as agriculture, corporate governance, and sports law. By bridging historical perspectives with future-oriented legal analysis, this issue underscores the journal’s commitment to advancing the rule of law and fostering global scholarly dialogue amidst a shifting legal paradigm.

Full Professor, Dr. Sc., School of Law, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv,

Ukraine;

Guest Researcher at the University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria

irina.izarova@knu.ua

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1909-7020

Editor-in-Chief of Access to Justice in Eastern Europe Journal, Chair of EASE Ukraine,

Chair of the RCPC of the European Association of Science Editors
 

Corresponding author, solely responsible for preparing the Editorial. I thank my

colleagues, the Managing Editors of AJEE, for their help, thoughts, and comments on my

piece, which helped me to improve it.
 

Competing interests: Prof. Iryna Izarova is the Editor-in-Chief of AJEE and, as such, has

no competing interests to declare regarding the content of this Editorial. This Editorial, as

is standard for this publication type, was not subject to peer review but aligns fully with the

Journal's publication ethics.
 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this Editorial are those of the author and

do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Journal, the Editorial Board,

the publisher or any affiliated institutions.
 

AI Disclosure: To ensure clarity and efficiency, I use Gemini Pro for linguistic support and gathering general information. I am the sole author of the ideas and conclusions expressed in my communications: I read, thoroughly verify, and take full ownership of all content. The use of AI does not replace my judgment, and I accept full responsibility for the final result, including any human errors.