The round table on “The Future of the Judiciary: Discussion of Draft Amendments to Judicial Career Procedures” was held in Kyiv on November 7, 2023. The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine was represented by its Chairman Roman Ihnatov, Deputy Chairman Ruslan Sydorovych, and members of the HQCJ Roman Sabodash, Liudmyla Volkova, Vitalii Gatseliuk, Oleh Koliush, Andrii Pasichnyk, Halyna Shevchuk, Oleksii Omelyan, Ruslan Melnyk, and Roman Kydysiuk.
The Chairman of the High Council of Justice Hryhorii Usyk and members of the HCJ, President of the Ukrainian Bar Association in 2021–2023 Anna Ohrenchuk, Country Manager of the EU Project “Pravo-Justice” in Ukraine Oksana Tsymbrivska, Deputy Head of the USAID “Justice for All” Programme Nataliia Petrova, judges, and other representatives of the legal community also attended this event.
The purpose of the round table was to discuss the draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges” and certain legislative acts of Ukraine on improving the procedures for judicial career.
Roman Ihnatov welcomed the participants of the event and marked the importance of discussing this topic, which is currently a key focus of society. He called on the participants to engage in a constructive dialogue and unite the efforts to overcome the challenges faced by the Ukrainian judiciary.
Ruslan Sydorovych emphasized the problem of judicial personnel shortage and commented in detail on the Commission’s perspective of amendments to certain provisions of the draft law that directly relate to the activities and powers of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.
The participants of the round table also expressed reservations about the introduction of a polygraph as a threat to judicial independence, discussed the prospects and selection risks under the new rules, tasks for the Public Integrity Council, and new approaches to the evaluation of judges.
