On January 2025, a meeting of the Steering Committee of the European Union Project “Support to Justice Sector Reforms in Ukraine” (Pravo-Justice III) took place in Kyiv. The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine was represented by its Chairman, Andrii Pasichnyk.
During the event, the Project representatives presented a report on the results of their work with the Ukrainian judiciary and justice sector and key achievements in the second half of 2024.
The Project continued to strengthen the HQCJU’s institutional capacity by supporting the updating of local regulations and providing other expert services upon the Commission’s request. In addition, it was reported that the procurement of tests for cognitive abilities testing for candidates for the positions of judges in appeal courts, as well as tests of general knowledge of law and moral and psychological qualities for the qualification evaluation of current judges, was completed.
On behalf of the Commission, Andrii Pasichnyk thanked the EU “Pravo-Justice” Project for its support and noted the importance of the joint achievements of the past year. He mentioned the expert assistance in preparing the creation of a judge’s professional profile and participation in the development of the Regulation on the Procedure and Methodology of Qualification Evaluation, the electronic judicial dossier, and the provision of the above-mentioned cognitive abilities testing.
Speaking about the plans for 2025, the Chairman of the Commission stressed the need to support the Public Integrity Council during the competition for judges to the appeal courts. Andrii Pasichnyk noted that the Commission will propose a high pace of interviews, which are due to start in May. Therefore, joint support from international partners of both the Commission and the PIC would be helpful.
Olha Sribniak, Deputy Team Leader, testified that the competition to the appeal courts for the Judicial Reform Component is one of the priority areas for overcoming the challenges currently faced by the Ukrainian justice system. She assured of continued cooperation in other Commission procedures and strengthening of the HQCJU’s capacity in 2025.
The meeting was also attended by the Team Leader of the EU Pravo-Justice Project Oksana Tsymbrivska, the Head of Cooperation Programmes at the EU Delegation to Ukraine Stefan Schleuning, Political Advisor at the Embassy of France in Ukraine Francois Cottel, Sector Manager at the EU Delegation to Ukraine Tomas Stravinskas, Deputy Minister of Justice on European Integration and Chair of the Steering Committee Meeting Liudmyla Suhak, Deputy Minister of Justice Yevhen Pikalov, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Denys Maslov and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Pavlo Pavlish, member of the High Council of Justice Dmytro Lukianov, Deputy Prosecutor General Viktoriia Litvinova and other representatives of the judiciary and justice authorities.