The Public Council of International Experts (PCIE) has conducted an orientation session attended by representatives of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJU).
This initial orientation session aimed to discuss strategic issues of the Council’s performance and interaction with other stakeholders, in particular:
• review good practices and lessons learned from other institutions involved in the selection of judges, members of judicial institutions, and civil servants in Ukraine;
• discuss methods and strategies for organizing the PCIE’s work;
• interaction between the PCIE and the HQCJU focusing on facilitating the vetting and selection of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) judges;
• explore potential areas of cooperation with representatives of civil society organizations to contribute to the integrity of the selection of HACC judges.
International technical assistance projects support the PCIE’s activities by providing logistical, legal, and communication assistance.
During this orientation session, the PCIE heard from experts who previously supported judicial selection commissions. They spoke about the practices of the previous PCIE composition, the context of anti-corruption reform in Ukraine, and legislative updates concerning the performance of both the PCIE and the judiciary in general.
The Public Council of International Experts was established to assist the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine in the assessing compliance of the candidates for the positions of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court with the criteria of integrity.
A new PCIE composition was selected in April 2024 comprising six foreign legal experts – experienced judges and prosecutors from Estonia, the United States, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Canada.