Enforcement Proceedings Under Martial Law: Problems and Ways to Solve Them
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21564/2414-990X.168.326391Keywords:
legislative changes, debt collection, moratorium, effectiveness of laws, digitalization, international experienceAbstract
The purpose of the study is to analyse the legislative changes introduced in connection with martial law and assess their impact on the effectiveness of the enforcement of court decisions, as well as to identify ways to overcome the problems caused by moratoriums on collection, delays in the enforcement of court decisions, limited access to registers and difficulties in identifying debtors' property. The study was based on a comprehensive approach that combined several methods of scientific knowledge: generalization based on analysis of legislation, statistics and comparison of international experience. The study analysed the legislation of Ukraine, the USA and Germany on enforcement proceedings under martial law to identify common and distinctive features in the approaches of these countries to the regulation of enforcement proceedings under war conditions. A study of statistical data by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine showed that the number of requests for public information to executive authorities for the period from May 2018 to 2021 increased by 170,245. Despite the fact that the number of requests for access to public information has increased, the number of open enforcement proceedings has significantly decreased, which has negatively affected the efficiency of the debt collection process. A legal analysis of foreign experience in the functioning of the system of enforcement of court decisions and decisions of other bodies has been carried out. The powers of state and private executors in the process of enforcement of decisions in countries, in particular the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America, have been analysed. A comparative study of enforcement proceedings in Ukraine, the USA and Germany has revealed both common features and differences in approaches to regulating this process. It has been established that all three countries recognize the need to protect the rights of debtors, especially those who have suffered from military actions or have been mobilized to defend the state. It has been revealed that Ukraine has introduced a wider list of categories of debtors subject to a moratorium on collection than the USA and Germany. The study identified the main problems of enforcement proceedings under martial law and proposed ways to solve them, in particular, improving legislation, digitalization, strengthening control, and improving the qualifications of enforcement officers.
References
Odynokova, O., Velychko, M., Batrachenko, T., Bukanov, H., & Sokha, S. (2024). The Impact of Martial Law on Law Enforcement and Law Enforcement Authorities: The Study of National and International Experience. Economic Affairs, 69(1), 743-750. https://doi.org/10.46852/0424-2513.2.2024.34.
Prytuliak, V., Hofman, O., Verba, O., Shcherbak, S., & Leshchenko, O. (2022). Protection of individual rights in enforcement proceedings under martial law. Amazonia Investiga, 11(54), 50-56. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.54.06.5.
Berdar, M. (2023). Legal challenges and innovations in executive proceedings in Ukraine and the world: A comparative aspect. Scientific Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs, 28(4), 47-57. https://doi.org/10.56215/naia-herald/4.2023.47.
Holodnyk, Y., Savranchuk, L., Voznyk, M., Horbach-Kudria, I., & Kuzyk, V. (2024). Administrative law governing the activities of law enforcement agencies under Martial Law. Ius Humani. Law Journal, 13(1), 50-67. https://doi.org/10.31207/ih.v13i1.344.
Romanova, A. (2022). Law enforcement activities and martial status: moral and legal features. Bulletin of the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”. Series: Legal Sciences, 9, 89-94. https://doi.org/10.23939/law2022.35.089.
Law of Ukraine No. 3048-IX "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Concerning Certain Peculiarities of Organization of Enforcement of Court Decisions and Decisions of Other Authorities during Martial Law". (April 11, 2023). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/3048-20#Text/.
Law of Ukraine No. 2939-VI "On Access to Public Information". (January 13, 2011). Retrieved from https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/en/2939-17.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Summary). (1999). Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/uk/web/compass/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights.
Surveying executive authorities and monitoring official websites. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.kmu.gov.ua/gromadskosti/dostup-do-publichnoyi-informaciyi/rezultati-anketuvannya-organiv-vikonavchoyi-vladi-ta-monitoringu-oficijnih-veb-sajtiv.
The European Convention on Human Rights and its protocols. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/the-european-convention-on-human-rights-and-its-protocols.
Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act (SCRA). (2025). Retrieved from https://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/bankruptcy/bankruptcy-basics/servicemembers-civil-relief-act-scra.
Act on Enforced Auction and Receivership. (December 12, 2022). Retrieved from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_zvg/englisch_zvg.html.
Agency for the Enforcement of Decisions. (2025). Statistics 2023. Retrieved from https://www.ae.org.ua/stat2023/.
Babikov, O., Bozhyk, V., Bugera, O. I., Kyrenko, S.H., & Viunyk, M. 2024. Balancing Interests: Criminal Proceedings & Private Life Interference Under Martial Law in Ukraine. German Law Journal, 25(4), 553-577. https://doi.org/10.1017/glj.2024.12.
Iosad, A., & Large, O. (2022). State of resilience: How Ukraine’s digital government is supporting its citizens during the war. Retrieved from https://institute.global/insights/tech-and-digitalisation/state-resilience-how-ukraines-digital-government-supporting-its-citizens-during-war.
Makushev, P.V. (2014). The legal regulation of government officials practice in the enforcement proceedings – International experience. Almanac of International Law, 6, 33-40. Retrieved from http://inlawalmanac.mgu.od.ua/v6/7.pdf.
U.S. Marshals Service. (2020). Fact Sheet. Judicial Security. Retrieved from https://www.usmarshals.gov/sites/default/files/media/document/2020-Judicial-Security.pdf.
Shandruk, S. (2010). Systems of compulsory execution of judgements. world experience. Democratic Governance, 5, 1-10. Retrieved from https://science.lpnu.ua/sites/default/files/journal-paper/2022/jan/26612/shandruk.pdf.
Bureau of the Fiscal Servise. (2025). Cross-Servicing. Retrieved from https://fiscal.treasury.gov/cross-servicing/.
Krupnova, L.V. (2020). Court decisions enforcement: Foreign experience. Herald of Zaporizhzhia National University. Jurisprudence, 4(2), 148-153. https://doi.org/10.26661/2616-9444-2020-4.2-21.
Canestrini, F. (2022). Economic sanctions and new strategies in East-West economic relations in 1981-1982. International History Review, 44(3), 675-693. https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2021.1956992.
Alimov, K.O. (2017). Foreign experience of the civil process in Germany and France. Legal Scientific Electronic Journal, 6, 66-68. Retrieved from http://lsej.org.ua/6_2017/17.pdf.
Siverin, D.V. (2014). Foreign experience of the bodies exercising powers related to the enforcement of court decisions and its adaptation to the national legal system. European Perspectives, 3, 81-87. Retrieved from https://dspace.univd.edu.ua/server/api/core/bitstreams/4d0478ce-e1ac-448b-9e01-558c2a16563b/content.
Maltseva, E. (2013). Comparative analysis of enforcement proceeding in Ukraine and other countries. Scientific Notes of Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University. Series: Juridical Sciences, 26(65), 1, 44-48. Retrieved from https://www.juris.vernadskyjournals.in.ua/journals/2013/1_2013/9.pdf.
Verba, O. 2008 Powers of the court and other bodies at the stage of enforcement of decisions under German law. Visnyk Lviv University. Law Series, 46, 103-111. Retrieved from https://law.lnu.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/%D0%92%D1%96%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA-46.pdf.
Shelever, N.V. 2016. Peculiarities of enforcement proceedings in the countries of the European Union. Law Forum, 1, 262-266. https://dspace.uzhnu.edu.ua/jspui/bitstream/lib/9738/1/FP_index.htm_2016_1_42%20%281%29.pdf.
German Civil Code. 2002. Retrieved from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_bgb/englisch_bgb.html
Plokhuta, Y. 2022. Foreign experience of administrative and legal regulation in the field of enforcement of court decisions and decisions of other bodies and the possibility of its use in Ukraine. Juridical Scientific and Electronic Journal, 10, 462-466. https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0374/2022-10/114.
Borch III, F.L. 2023. Military justice in the army: The evolution of courts-martial from the revolutionary war era to the twenty-first century. Army Lawyer, 2. Retrieved from https://tjaglcs.army.mil/Periodicals/The-Army-Lawyer/tal-2023-issue-2/Post/3231/Military-Justice-in-the-Army-The-Evolution-of-Courts-Martial-from-the-Revolutionary-War-Era-to-the-Twenty-First-Century.
Chemin, M. 2021. Can judiciaries constrain executive power? Evidence from judicial reforms. Journal of Public Economics, 199, 104428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104428.
Lanza, G. 2022. The fundamental role of international (criminal) law in the war in Ukraine. Orbis, 66(3), 424-435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2022.05.010.
Shelever, N., Lazur, Y., Gerbut, V. 2023. Problematic issues of enforcement proceedings during the state of war in Ukraine. Legal Scientific Electronic Journal, 2, 652-655. https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0374/2023-2/156.
Pokorska, Y.I., & Luhina, N.A. 2024. Problems of enforcement of court decisions during martial law. Uzhhorod National University Herald. Series: Law, 2(85), 396-401. https://doi.org/10.24144/2307-3322.2024.85.2.58.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Микола Бердар
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
