EU Law and Ukrainian Private International Law in Cross-Border Family and Succession Matters: Towards Harmonisation and Equality

Lecturer

Yurii Orzikh is a researcher at Örebro University and associate professor of private law at the National University Odesa Law Academy. He holds a PhD in Private Law and has over 17 years of experience as a practicing lawyer and is a longstanding member of both the International Cooperation Commission of the Notarial Chamber of Ukraine and the Notarial Deontology Commission of the International Union of Latin Notaries (UINL), where he represents Ukraine on the international stage.

He has received several national recognitions, including acknowledgements from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Notary Chamber of Ukraine for his contributions to legislative reform, as well as from the NUOLA for his Pro Bono legal work.

At Örebro University, he contributes to interdisciplinary research within the FIRE project on financial information and digitalisation (funded by KK-Stiftelsen) and the Mis(sing) Information project (funded by RJ Stiftelsen).

He also leads the Swedish Institute-funded UA Connect project, which focuses on capacity-building in EU law and case law of the CJEU for Ukrainian institutions. In addition, he teaches in courses on private law, private international law, tax law, VAT, and Legal Tech, AI, and Automation.

Information about the seminar

The purpose of the research is to investigate the extraterritorial application of EU law and EU Member States’ private international law in Ukraine, as well as the application of Ukrainian law within EU jurisdictions. The analysis is situated in the context of Ukraine’s evolving legal landscape amid its EU accession process and the consequences of large-scale forced migration caused by the war with Russia.

The research explores how EU regulations such as EU Regulation 650/2012 on Succession intersect with Ukrainian legislation in matters such as family, succession, and private international law. A central focus is placed on the challenges faced by Ukrainian and EU member states’ courts and notaries when applying EU law, foreign law, or Ukrainian law, particularly in light of differing standards regarding public policy exceptions and mutual recognition, especially concerning gender equality and the recognition or non-recognition of same-sex marriages and diverse family unions.

The study also addresses the limited scope of Ukraine’s existing conflict of laws framework and highlights the need for legislative reform to ensure compatibility with EU standards. While the presentation outlines legal mechanisms that may mitigate some of these discriminatory effects—such as recognizing heirship under foreign applicable law—it also advocates for the adoption of gender-neutral conflict-of-law rules and harmonised private international law frameworks.

The event is open to everyone and does not require pre-registration. Participation can take place physically or digitally via Zoom.