Certain court cases will be distributed among courts across the country: new concept
In Ukraine, a pilot project concept was presented that provides for the automatic distribution of certain categories of economic cases among courts throughout the country regardless of the location of the parties involved, as well as wider use of remote court hearings. It is expected that this approach will reduce case consideration times, ensure equal access to justice regardless of the participants' place of residence, optimize judges' workload, and promote the digital transformation of the judicial system in accordance with European standards.
During the project presentation, the urgency of introducing trans-territorial jurisdiction was stated by the Chairwoman of the Commercial Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, Larisa Rogach, and the concept was presented by the Chairwoman of the Commercial Court of Luhansk Region, Olena Fonova.
The High Council of Justice emphasized that in conditions of significant staff shortages and uneven workload among courts, it is necessary to use modern technological and organizational solutions to ensure access to justice.
They noted that the difference in workload between certain courts can currently reach a twentyfold gap, indicating the need for a more even distribution of cases.
The High Council of Justice also supported the idea of introducing an extraterritorial approach and called for the swift development of legislative and technical solutions for its implementation. In the future, such a mechanism may be extended not only to commercial courts but also to the general court system.
In the 2025 Annual Report, the High Council of Justice highlighted that the shortage of judges has turned into a systemic crisis. Most judges work at the limit of their capabilities, which complicates the provision of timely and quality justice.
According to the High Council of Justice, as of the end of 2025:
- there were 758 courts in Ukraine, of which 582 administered justice;
- the maximum authorized number of judges was 6,600 positions;
- 4,346 judges were actually working in courts that continue to administer justice;
- 2,254 judge positions remained vacant.
The majority of vacancies were in local courts — 1,400 positions, as well as in appellate courts — 725 positions.
It is separately noted that in 20 local general courts, justice was administered by a single judge with full powers.
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