The All-Ukrainian NGO “Association of Judges of Ukraine” together with the International NGO “International League for Protection of the Rights of Citizens of Ukraine” held a round table on June 25, 2021 on the topic: “Discussion and directions of solving problems of the judiciary of Ukraine and independence of judges”

During the event, participants emphasized the important role of judges associations in ensuring the standards of judicial independence and immutability of judges. The independence of the courts is a prerequisite for the rule of law and the main guarantee of a fair trial. Society places the responsibility of judges to make final decisions about human life, its freedoms, rights, duties and property.

That is why one of the tasks of the associations of judges is to protect this mission of the judiciary in society. Associations of judges operating in Ukraine are concerned with judicial independence, which implies the creation of conditions for impartial and independent administration of justice.

The round table also drew attention to issues of funding and administration of courts, in particular in the context of judicial efficiency and Article 6 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. This issue is regularly considered by the Advisory Council of European Judges and is also the subject of discussion in the judicial community of Ukraine. Separately, insufficient funding for courts of first instance and appeal was highlighted.

Participants noted that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine periodically decides on additional funding of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine to ensure the work of local and appellate courts, as well as the functioning of bodies and institutions of the justice system.

At the same time, in the media, such decisions are often accompanied by discussions about the feasibility of increasing funding for the judiciary.

At the same time, the problem of lack of funds in the courts is silent: there is not enough funding for subpoenas, and sometimes even for sending copies of court decisions to the parties. For the last two years, employees of the judiciary have been paid at the minimum wage level, which is a critical and unacceptable situation.

The participants of the round table stressed that high-quality work of the judicial authorities is impossible without proper provision of the activities of the employees of the courts. “The efficiency of the courts largely depends on the assistants of judges, secretaries of court sessions, employees who ensure registration of claims and maintenance of documentation.”

Separately, attention was paid to a significant outflow of personnel from the court apparatus. According to the participants of the event, this trend is a serious problem. The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine has not been functioning for almost two years, which makes it difficult to fill vacant judicial positions. Participants stressed that this problem will become even more acute in the coming years, as many judges retire, and the preparation of new personnel and their qualification assessment require considerable time.

The Association of Judges of Ukraine called for active cooperation in solving the problems raised, because much depends on the level of self-organization of the judicial community.

The Association's mission is also to refute unfounded criticism, protect the judiciary and individual judges from attacks, establish and implement ethical standards.

The Association's activities are aimed at promoting professional training, exchange of experience and best practices, reforming the justice system and lawmaking, as well as raising the level of public and media awareness about the role of judges and judiciary in the state.