The High Council of Justice demands proper funding for judges: appeal to the President and the Cabinet

On July 14, 2026, the High Council of Justice (HCJ) unanimously supported an appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine regarding the provision of constitutional guarantees for the funding of the judiciary.

During the meeting, HCJ member Serhiy Burlakov proposed to include this issue on the agenda. After the report, the HCJ unanimously decided to appeal to the head of state as the guarantor of the Constitution and to the government with a demand to restore the proper level of judicial remuneration.

Constitutional guarantees and violations

The appeal emphasizes that according to Article 130 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the state is obliged to ensure funding and proper conditions for the functioning of courts and the activities of judges. Expenditures for the maintenance of courts in the State Budget must be determined separately taking into account the proposals of the High Council of Justice. This provision has direct effect.

The HCJ points to amendments to Article 135 of the Law of Ukraine "On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges," which provide for determining the amount of judicial remuneration based on the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons. Such regulation complies with the Constitution and aims to restore fair financial support for judges.

Consequences of insufficient funding

Insufficient funding of the judiciary has already led to serious problems:

• Staff shortages in courts;
• Increased stress levels among judges;
• Risk of declining quality of justice.

This has been repeatedly noted by the Consultative Council of European Judges (notably in Opinion No. 28), the European Court of Human Rights, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and other international institutions.

Since 2021, the Law on the State Budget has applied a reduced coefficient for judges, which contradicts constitutional guarantees. Meanwhile, the judiciary continues to operate under extremely difficult conditions—especially in courts of first instance and appellate courts, in frontline territories, and under martial law.

HCJ's position

The High Council of Justice together with the High Qualification Commission of Judges actively conducts competitions, including for the High Anti-Corruption Court and specialized administrative courts. However, without proper financial support, the problem of staff shortages cannot be resolved.

The HCJ's appeal contains a request to:

• Ensure compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine and part three of Article 135 of the Law "On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges," according to which the basic size of a judge's official salary must be determined exclusively through the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons;
• Initiate amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026" to allocate additional funds for the payment of judicial remuneration and related charges.

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