On October 10, 2023, a working meeting was held between the Deputy Chairman of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine Ruslan Sydorovych, and the Sectoral Manager at the EU Delegation to Ukraine Alban Biaussat.
The event was also attended by the Chief National Expert of the Judicial Reform Component of the EU Pravo-Justice Project Volodymyr Chaban, and by the Deputy Head of the Commission’s Secretariat Taras Neshyk.
The meeting was aimed at discussing priorities and mechanisms for potential support of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine by European partners during the next phase of the EU Pravo-Justice Project starting in January 2024.
Ruslan Sydorovych emphasized the important role of the Project in strengthening the institutional capacity of the Commission, as it will contribute to the full implementation of its functions in accordance with the legislation. He reminded that the HQCJ has announced competitions to fill 532 vacant positions of judges in courts of appeal and 560 vacant positions of judges in local courts, as well as the qualification evaluations of current judges will soon begin with the active participation of the Public Integrity Council.
In his turn, Alban Biaussat noted that a new phase of the EU Pravo-Justice Project will begin in January 2024, which will readily join the efforts of international partners within the framework of expert and organizational support of the Commission. He also emphasized the special attention to the needs of the HQCJ and the improvement of the country’s judicial system in general in the context of ensuring the stability and recovery of Ukraine in modern realities.
As a reminder, on September 07, 2023, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine and the European Union Pravo-Justice Project signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, which provides for the consolidation of efforts aimed at ensuring fair, high-quality and transparent procedures for the selection of candidates for appointment as judges, passing a special training of candidates for the position of a judge and qualification evaluation of judges.
