On September 03, 2025, Yaroslav Dukh, a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, took part in an expert discussion entitled “Judicial Reform: Responses to Current Challenges,” organised by the Anti-Corruption Action Center with the support of the GIZ programme “Strenghtening Ukraine’s EU Accession in the Rule of Law”.
During three panel discussions, issues such as the independence of the judiciary, the transparency of the selection process for appeal court judges, and the alignment of judicial reform with Ukraine’s new Anti-Corruption Strategy were discussed. In addition, the rule of law and the progress of judicial reform in the context of European integration were discussed. Most participants emphasised the relevance and importance of the Parliament’s adoption of draft law No. 13382, which restores the participation of international experts in the activities of the Competition Commission for the selection of candidates for positions in the High Council of Justice.
During the panel discussion “Renewal of the appellate court as a new stage of judicial reform: Challenges and Criteria for Success”, Yaroslav Dukh drew attention to the discrepancy between public expectations for a complete overhaul of the judicial system and the reality in which the lengthy and multi-stage qualification exam makes it difficult for participants who are not court employees to access the final stages of competitions and selection for judicial positions. The panel participants also exchanged views on strengthening the institutional capacity of the PIC.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Taras Kachka emphasised that involving international experts in the selection process for members of the High Qualification Commission of Ukraine is an effective tool for implementing European standards and best practices in the field of judicial reform.
The expert discussion was also attended by Anton Hofreiter, Member of the German Bundestag; Anastasia Radina, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy; Dmytro Kalmykov, Deputy Chair of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention; Oksana Kvasha, Deputy Chair of the High Council of Justice; and others.