The Council of Judges appealed to the President and the Cabinet with a demand for budgetary provision of new guarantees for judges

On 21 July, the Council of Judges of Ukraine adopted Decision No. 28, appealing to the President of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to urgently ensure funding for the judiciary. This funding is crucial for the full implementation of the Law of Ukraine No. 4905-IX, dated 9 June 2026.

As previously reported by the "Judicial-Legal Newspaper," the Council of Judges has declared a critical situation regarding the payment of judges' remuneration. Following the entry into force of amendments to the Law "On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges," introduced by Law No. 4905-IX, the method for determining a judge’s basic official salary changed. It is now exclusively based on the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons. However, state budget expenditures for 2026 were calculated using a figure of UAH 2,102, while the actual subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons is UAH 3,328.

Despite appeals to the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance, the ministry has refused to increase state budget expenditures for 2026, suggesting the issue only be considered during the formation of the 2027 budget. The Council of Judges emphasises that this stance fails to ensure the implementation of the current law in 2026 and does not absolve the state of its obligation to uphold the guarantees established by it.

According to the Council of Judges' calculations, an additional UAH 2.56 billion is required for the full implementation of Law No. 4905-IX in 2026. The document states that the judiciary system’s own resources are insufficient to cover this need, and the lack of budgetary provision effectively jeopardises the fulfilment of legislatively established guarantees of judicial independence.

The Council of Judges stresses that proper material support for judges is one of the key guarantees of judicial independence, as provided by the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law "On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges," international standards, and numerous decisions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

Special attention in the appeal is given to the situation with the funding of the judicial system. The Council of Judges notes that the State Judicial Administration has already twice appealed to the Ministry of Finance with proposals to increase budget allocations, particularly through surplus revenues of the special fund from the payment of court fees. According to the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, in 2025, court fee revenues exceeded planned figures by 59%, and the mechanism for using special fund money to pay judges' remuneration was already applied during the execution of the state budget.

In this regard, the Council of Judges of Ukraine has appealed:

• to the President of Ukraine — with a request to take measures to ensure the independence of the judiciary and the implementation of Law No. 4905-IX;

• to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine — with a demand to urgently ensure funding for the implementation of the law by amending the special fund schedule of the State Budget, and if funds are insufficient, to initiate changes to the Law of Ukraine "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026."

According to the Council of Judges, delaying the resolution of the funding issue may lead to new judicial and constitutional disputes, the accumulation of the state’s budget obligations, and negatively affect Ukraine’s authority in the process of European integration.