The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine has decided to admit candidates who have successfully passed the cognitive abilities test to the third stage of the qualification exam within the framework of the competition for vacant positions of judges in appeal courts announced by the Commission’s decision №. 94/zp-23 of September 14, 2023, (as amended) - completion of a practical assignment on the specialisation of the relevant court, and has determined the schedules for its conduct.

On January 30, 2025, as part of the qualification evaluation of judges of local and appeal courts for their suitability for the positions held, the Panel of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine postponed the interview with a judge of the Sviatoshynskyi District Court of Kyiv City Makarenko Volodymyr to February 13, 2025.

By Decision of the Commission dated January 22, 2025, a new Regulation on the procedure and methodology for qualification evaluation, indicators of compliance with qualification criteria, and methods for their establishment was approved.

This Regulation will apply to judicial selection competitions for positions of judges in appeals courts, the High Anti-Corruption Court, as well as other new competitions and qualification evaluation procedures related to the imposition of disciplinary sanctions.

By the decision № 359/zp-24 of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, dated December 02, 2024, the draft amendments to the Regulation on access to the judicial dossier (candidate dossier) by members of the Public Integrity Council were approved (in the version adopted by the Commission’s Decision № 137/zp-24 of May 22, 2024). The revised version of the Procedure was submitted for consultation and recommendations to the High Council of Justice and the Council of Judges of Ukraine.

On January 30, 2025, during a meeting of the Panel of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, the issue of the inaccuracy (including incompleteness) of statements made by a judge of the Semenivskyi Raion Court of Poltava Oblast Viktor Kharchenko in his judicial integrity declarations for the years 2015–2022 was considered.

For the purpose of conducting the qualification exam for candidates for the position of a local court judge and judges, intending to be transferred to another local court, on January 29, 2025, the Commission approved the exam stage programs and the taxonomic characteristics of anonymous tests on the history of Ukrainian statehood, general legal knowledge, and each court specialization (administrative, commercial, and general jurisdiction).

The Commission’s decision of January 29, 2025, amended the guidelines for evaluation of the practical assignment on criminal specialisation completed by candidates for the positions of judges of appeal courts during the qualification exam, approved by the Commission’s decision of July 17, 2024,  № 228/zp-24.

On January 29, 2025, the Commission adopted a decision to appoint Pavlo Kulyk as Deputy Head of the Secretariat for digital development, digital transformations, and digitalization of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, from
February 05, 2025.

Pavlo Kulyk has also been assigned the third rank of public service.

Please be informed, that on February 06, 2025, at 10 a.m. the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (9, General Shapoval Str., Kyiv) will hold a special joint meeting with the Public Council of International Experts to consider the issue of suitability of candidates for the positions of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court as a court of first instance for the criteria set forth in part four of Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine “On the High Anti-Corruption Court”:

On January 27, 2025, the plenary meeting of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine considered the issue of suitability of judges of local and appeal courts for their positions held