Court Staffing: An Issue That Requires New Approaches – Iryna Mudra

Ensuring the functioning of courts and the independence of judges, as well as further development of the judicial system, are among the main priorities of the judiciary today. This was stated by Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, at a roundtable discussion on judicial reform.

She reminded the participants that the vacancy rate of judges, which ranges from

22% to 61%, is an acute problem. According to her, this requires new approaches, including the transfer or secondment of judges to these courts.

"We also need to focus on restoring the functioning of courts in the de-occupied territories. We already have experience in restoring justice, for example, in Kherson, so it is important to elaborate mechanisms and prepare for the restoration of justice in the future," Iryna Mudra said.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President also emphasized the importance of the procedure of assessing the damage caused by the aggressor country and submitting claims to the International Register of Damage. The courts are expected to play a significant role in this regard.

Another urgent issue is the establishment of the High Administrative Court that will hear the cases involving national state agencies. Its establishment is stipulated in the updated Memorandum with the IMF.

Iryna Mudra also emphasized the importance of enhancing the instruments for preventing corruption risks in the courts, improving the requirements for the judge's and candidate's integrity declarations and the procedure for their verification, and introducing a detailed list of grounds for disciplinary liability of judges.