VinFunPark
Logo SLS
Logo SLS
Submit an article
VinFunPark
ISSN 2617-4162 e-ISSN 2617-4170

Social and Legal Studios

All Issues
Submit an article

Current

Social and Legal Studios

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2026

Social and Legal Studios

ISSN 2617-4162

e-ISSN 2617-4170

Publisher: Lviv State University of Internal Affairs

Received 11.09.2024, Revised 02.12.2024, Accepted 23.12.2024
Pages 248-259
https://doi.org/10.32518/sals4.2024.248
Vol. 7, No. 4, 2024
Article

Compliance of criminal legislation of the EU and Ukraine in the field of combating human trafficking with the acquis communautaire


Abstract

The European course of Ukraine and the beginning of negotiations on its membership necessitate the implementation of the EU acquis into national legislation. One of such requirements is to amend the criminal law policy of Ukraine regarding the establishment of liability for human trafficking and bringing its principles closer to the requirements of a series of EU acts, including the Directive No. 2011/36/EU. The absence of the possibility of applying criminal sanctions to legal entities in connection with human trafficking in Ukrainian legislation is a drawback that will prevent Ukraine from obtaining EU membership. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to examine the forms of legal liability of legal entities for trafficking in human beings in the laws of EU Member States and candidate countries and to develop proposals for amending Ukrainian legislation to bring it into line with the requirements of Directive No. 2011/36/EU. The study employed the following methods: methods of analysis and synthesis, comparative legal method, and questionnaire method. The study analysed and summarised the legislation of all EU Member States and EU candidate countries in terms of establishing liability of legal entities for trafficking in human beings; the study also examined the specific features of criminal law means and forms of establishing such liability of legal entities in the above countries (in criminal codes, in separate regulations, or in the absence of such a provision). As a result of the analysis of the empirical base, the study concluded on the necessity of establishing the possibility of holding legal entities liable for trafficking in human beings in the current criminal legislation of Ukraine and proposed several options for implementing the requirements of Directive No. 2011/36/EU. The practical value of the findings lies in the fact that the legislators can further use one of the described options and amend the Criminal Code of Ukraine, enabling not only the application of criminal law measures to legal entities in connection with human trafficking, but also the fulfilment of the EU requirements and acquisition the EU membership for Ukraine


Keywords: criminal liability; criminal law measures against legal entities; legal entities; human trafficking; EU acquis


Suggested citation

Pasyeka, O., & Vyshnevska, I. (2024). Compliance of criminal legislation of the EU and Ukraine in the field of combating human trafficking with the acquis communautaire. Social and Legal Studios, 7(4), 248-259. https://doi.org/10.32518/sals4.2024.248
References

[1] A4U. (2022). The report based on the results of the initial assessment will become the implementation of acquis EU. Retrieved from https://eu-ua.kmu.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/Zvit_UA.pdf.

[2] Act Concerning the Conditions of Accession of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic and the Adjustments to the Treaties on Which the European Union is founded. (2003, September). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A12003T%2FPRO%2F10.

[3] Association Agreement Between the European Union and Ukraine. (2014, September). Retrieved from https://www.kmu.gov. ua/en/yevropejska-integraciya/ugoda-pro-asociacyu.

[4] Bracy, K. (2021). Four-year analysis of labor trafficking cases in the United States: Exploring characteristics and labor trafficking patterns. Journal of Human Trafficking, 7(1), 35-52. doi: 10.1080/23322705.2019.1638148.

[5] Companies Act of Ireland. (2014, December). Retrieved from https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2014/act/38/enacted/en/ print.html.

[6] Consolidated Federal Law of Austria. (2005, December). Retrieved from https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung. wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=20004425.

[7] Corina, D. (2021). Legislative provisions of human trafficking in the Republic of Moldova. In State policy on combating human trafficking: Ukraine and the world: Collection of abstracts of the international scientific and practical conference (pp. 208-211). Lviv:Lviv State University of Internal Affairs

[8] Council Framework Decision No. 2002/629/JHA “On Combating Trafficking in Human Beings”. (2002, July). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32002F0629.

[9] Criminal Code of Belgium. (1867, June). Retrieved from https://legislationline.org/sites/default/files/documents/6e/BELG_ CC_fr.pdf.

[10] Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina. (2003, August). Retrieved from https://rm.coe.int/bih-criminal-code-consolidated- text/16806415c8.

[11] Criminal code of Bulgaria. (1968, April). Retrieved from https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bul208359english.pdf.

[12] Criminal code of Cyprus. (1959, January). Retrieved from https://sbaadministration.org/home/legislation/01_02_09_01_ COLONIAL_CAPS_1959/01_02_01_04_Caps-125-175A/19600101_CAP154_u.pdf.

[13] Criminal Code of Denmark. (2009, November). Retrieved from https://lovkilden.dk/eli/lta/2022/1360.

[14] Criminal Code of Finland. (1889, December). Retrieved from https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1889/18890039001.

[15] Criminal Code of France. (1992, July). Retrieved from https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/id/LEGIARTI 000006417849/2004-03-10.

[16] Criminal code of Georgia. (1999, August). Retrieved from https://matsne.gov.ge/ru/document/view/16426?publication=259.

[17] Criminal Code of Germany. (1871, May). Retrieved from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/BJNR001270871. html#BJNR001270871BJNG000102307.

[18] Criminal Code of Greece. (2019, June). Retrieved from https://www.lawspot.gr/nomikes-plirofories/nomothesia/poinikos- kodikas-nomos-4619-2019.

[19] Criminal Code of Latvia. (1998, May). Retrieved from https://likumi.lv/ta/id/88966-kriminallikums.

[20] Criminal Code of Malta. (1854, June). Retrieved from https://legislation.mt/eli/cap/9/20240223/eng.

[21] Criminal Code of Montenegro. (2003, June). Retrieved from https://track.unodc.org/uploads/documents/BRI-legal-resources/ Montenegro/3_-Criminal_Code_of_Montenegro_2018_English_version.pdf.

[22] Criminal Code of Portugal. (2024, January). Retrieved from https://www.codigopenal.pt.

[23] Criminal Code of Republic of Macedonia. (1996, November). Retrieved from https://www.refworld.org/legal/legislation/ natlegbod/1996/en/124105.

[24] Criminal Code of Republic of Moldova. (2002, April). Retrieved from https://continent-online.com/Document/?doc_ id=30394923#pos=6;-142.

[25] Criminal Code of Romania. (2009, July). Retrieved from https://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocumentAfis/223635.

[26] Criminal Code of Spain. (1995, October). Retrieved from https://www.conceptosjuridicos.com/codigo-penal.

[27] Criminal Code of Sweden. (1965, January). Retrieved from https://www.government.se/ contentassets/7a2dcae0787e465e9a2431554b5eab03/the-swedish-criminal-code.pdf.

[28] Criminal Code of the Netherlands. (1881, March). Retrieved from https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001854/2024-01-01.

[29] Criminal Code of Ukraine. (2001, September). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2341-14/print.

[30] Criminal code Republic of Lithuania. (2000, September). Retrieved from https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalActPrint/ lt?jfwid=rivwzvpvg&documentId=a84fa232877611e5bca4ce385a9b7048&category=TAD.

[31] Criminal law (Human trafficking) Act. (2008, May). Retrieved from https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2008/act/8/enacted/ en/html.

[32] Dir, I. (2024). The process of implementing the EU acquis into the national legislation of Ukraine. Analytical and Comparative Jurisprudence, 1, 676-682. doi: 10.24144/2788-6018.2024.01.119.

[33] Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council No. 2011/36/EU “On Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Protecting its Victims”. (2011, April). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011L0036.

[34] Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council No. 2012/29/EU “On Establishing Minimum Standards On the Rights, Support, and Protection of Victims of Crime, and Replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA”. (2012, October). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:315:0057:0073:EN:PDF.

[35] Draft of the New Criminal Code of Ukraine. (2024, August). Retrieved from https://newcriminalcode.org.ua/criminal-code.

[36] Draft Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe. (2004, October). Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/ getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+TA+P6-TA-2005-0004+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN.

[37] Fries, P. (2015). On the issue of criminal liability of a legal entity. Legal Bulletin, 2(35), 152-156.

[38] Glossary of summaries. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/glossary.html.

[39] Grishchuk, V.K., & Paseka, O.F. (2013). Criminal liability of legal entities: A comparative legal study. Lviv: Lviv State University of Internal Affairs.

[40] Huemer, M.-A. (2023). Revision of Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. Brussels: European Parliamentary Research Service.

[41] Law of Albania No. 9754 “On Criminal Liability of Legal Persons”. (2007, June). Retrieved from https://www.pp.gov.al/rc/ doc/ligj_pergjegjesia_penale_e_personave_juridike_38.pdf.

[42] Law of Croatia No. 114/23 “Law on the Protection of the Rights of Individuals for a Certain Period of Time”. (1997, July). Retrieved from https://www.zakon.hr/z/110/Zakon-o-odgovornosti-pravnih-osoba-za-kaznena-djela.

[43] Law of Czech Republic No. 146/2011 “On Criminal Liability of Legal Persons and Proceedings Against Them”. (2011, December). Retrieved from https://www.zakonyprolidi.cz/cs/2011-418.

[44] Law of Hungary “On Criminal Measures Against Legal Persons”. (2001). Retrieved from https://net.jogtar.hu/ jogszabaly?docid=a0100104.tv.

[45] Law of Poland No. 197 “On the Liability of Collective Entities for Acts Prohibited under Penalty”. (2002, October). Retrieved from https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20021971661/U/D20021661Lj.pdf.

[46] Law of Poland No. 88 “On Amending the Act – the Penal Code”. (2013, October). Retrieved from https://orka.sejm.gov.pl/Druki7ka.nsf/0/71C78F4F570E342CC1257C5A003B9D9F/%24File/2024.pdf.

[47] Law of Slovakia No. 91/2016 “On Criminal Liability of Legal Entities and Amendments to Certain Laws”. (2015, November). Retrieved from https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/SK/ZZ/2016/91/.

[48] Law of Slovenia “On the Liability of Legal Persons for Criminal Acts (LPCPA)”. (1999, July). Retrieved from https://pisrs.si/ pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO1259.

[49] Law of Ukraine No. 848-VIII “On Scientific and Technical Activities”. (2015, November). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/848-19/ed20151126#Text.

[50] Legislative Decree of Italy No. 231 “Regulation of the Administrative Liability of Legal Persons, Companies and Associations, Including those without Legal Personality, Pursuant to Article 11 of Law No. 300 of 29 September 2000”. (2001, June). Retrieved from https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:2001-06-08;231.

[51] Marchetti, S., & Palumbo, L. (2022). 10 years after the Directive 2011/36/EU: Lights and shadows in addressing the vulnerability of trafficked and exploited migrants. Population & Policy Compact, 33.

[52] Martinho, G., Matos, M., & Gonçalves, M. (2022). Professionals’ knowledge and perceptions on child trafficking: Evidence from Portugal. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 30, 39-61. doi: 10.1007/s10610-022-09522-w.

[53] Muhammad Safar, T., Zarzani, R., & Ismaidar, I. (2024). Application of criminal sanctions against corporations for human trafficking in Indonesia. International Journal of Sociology and Law, 1(3), 57-67.

[54] Nordquist, S. (2024). EU policymaking and anti-human trafficking efforts: Inferred policy preferences from a new survey. Journal of Human Trafficking, 10(1), 69-86. doi: 10.1080/23322705.2022.2041339.

[55] Penal Code of Estonia. (2001, June). Retrieved from https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/502012024009/consolide.

[56] Penal Code of Luxemburg. (1994, June). Retrieved from https://legislationline.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Criminal%20 Code%20of%20the%20Grand-Duchy%20of%20Luxembourg.pdf.

[57] Ponomarenko, Yu. (2022). Acquis communautaire of the European Union and criminal law of Ukraine. In Materials of an international science conference “Criminal law of Ukraine before the challenges of modernity and the future: What it is and what it should be” (pp. 140-147). Kharkiv: Yaroslaw Mydriy National Law University.

[58] Regulations on the organization of scientific activity at Lviv State University of Internal Affairs. (2017). Retrieved from https:// www.lvduvs.edu.ua/uk/karta-dokumentiv/category/171-position.html?download=4356:polozhennia-pro-orhanizatsiiu- naukovoi-diialnosti-u-lvduvs.

[59] Ricard-Guay, A. (2017). Human trafficking in domestic work in the EU: A special case or a learning ground for the anti- trafficking field? Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 15, 109-121. doi: 10.1080/15562948.2017.1310340.

[60] Rodríguez-López, S. (2017). Criminal liability of legal persons for human trafficking offences in international and European law. Journal of Trafficking and Human Exploitation, 1(1), 95-114. doi: 10.7590/24522775114.

[61] Rose, A., Howard, L., Zimmerman, C., & Oram, S. (2020). Cross-sectional comparison of the mental health of people trafficked to the UK for domestic servitude, for sexual exploitation and for labor exploitation. Journal of Human Trafficking, 7(3), 258-267. doi: 10.1080/23322705.2020.1728495.

[62] Shcherbatiuk, V., Kuras, D., & Sokur, Yu. (2024). The problem of slavery and human trafficking: International law and scientific discourse. Scientific Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, 29(1), 43-54. doi: 10.56215/naia-herald/1.2024.43.

[63] Skromnyi, D. (2022). Theoretical aspects of the crime of legal entities in Ukraine and the world. Pakistan Journal of Criminology, 14(2), 79-94.

[64] Symeonidou-Kastanidou, E. (2016). Directive 2011/36/EU on combating trafficking in human beings: Fundamental choices and problems of implementation. New Journal of European Criminal Law, 7(4), 465-482. doi: 10.1177/203228441600700406.

[65] Syroid, Т. (2022). Organizational and legal mechanism of combating human trafficking in the European Union. South Ukrainian Legal Journal, 4(3), 42-47. doi: 10.32850/sulj.2022.4.3.8.

[66] The Interpretation Act of Ciprus. (1989, November). Retrieved from https://www.cylaw.org/nomoi/enop/non-ind/0_1/full. html.

[67] Urbelionytė, A. (2012). Changes in EU legal regulations on human trafficking after adoption of Directive 2011/36/EU. Socialinių Mokslų Studijos, 4(3), 1143-1155.

[68] Van Rij, J.J. (2023). Towards a New Human Trafficking Strategy: Proactivity at the heart of the Ps Paradigm. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 12, 151-165. doi: 10.6000/1929-4409.2023.12.12.

[69] Venice Commission. (2005). The impact of the enlarged European Union on new member states and prospects for further enlargement. Trieste: MIB School of Management Palazzo del Ferdinandeo.

[70] Voytsihovskyi, A. (2016). Activities of the European Union on combating human trafficking. Law and Security, 2, 18-24.

[71] Zabuha, Yu., Mykhailichenko, T., & Osadcha, A. (2022). Public health vs. medical exploitation as a type of human trafficking. Wiadomosci Lekarskie, 75(12), 3128-3134. doi: 10.36740/wlek202212139.