HCSC risks being left without a new composition: The Council of Judges announced an additional recruitment of candidates for the competition commission
The Council of Judges of Ukraine unanimously decided to announce a competition for the selection of candidates to the competition commission, which will carry out the selection of candidates for the positions of members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.
During the meeting, the Chairman of the Council of Judges reminded that in 2025 the High Council of Justice announced the procedure for selecting members of the HCSC. At the same time, only three candidates from the Council of Judges expressed a desire to participate in the competition and were submitted to the HCJ.
Meanwhile, the legislation provides for an alternative selection of candidates: at least two persons must compete for each vacant position for the High Council of Justice to conduct a competitive selection.
During the discussion, members of the Council also drew attention to the critical situation regarding the filling of vacancies in the judicial system. In particular, there is a risk that the current composition of the HCSC will complete its powers before the procedure for forming the new Commission begins.
The participants of the meeting emphasized that despite the long absence of legislative changes regarding the participation of international experts in competitive procedures, the Council of Judges must perform all actions provided by law in order to prevent disruption of the formation of the new HCSC composition.
Considering the summer vacation period, the Council members decided to extend the deadline for submitting documents from the usual 45 to 60 days. Documents will be accepted until September 25, 2026, so that potential candidates have enough time to prepare a complete package of documents.
As a result of the discussion, the draft decision was unanimously supported.
Summarizing the consideration of the issue, the Chairman of the Council of Judges noted that timely conduct of the competition is one of the key tasks of the Council, since without forming a new composition of the HCSC it is impossible to ensure the proper functioning of the system for selection and qualification assessment of judges. He also emphasized that the formation of the HCSC remains one of the key elements of judicial reform in Ukraine.
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