In February-March 2023, the RPR Coalition, the Center of Policy and Legal Reform, and the Active Community Club held discussions on the concepts of the state’s future development in the context of crucial reforms. Among them was reforming the justice system, which is undoubtedly central to the development of Ukraine as a democratic state with the rule of law and its further integration into the EU. We would likewant to share some findings of the experts and the results of expert and public discussions regarding the future of Judicial Reform.

During the Revolution of Dignity, the courts were one of the repressive tools used by the political authorities against the participants of mass protests. The use of courts for political prosecutions in previous years, pressure on business, political dependence, and corruption of judges, as well as one of the lowest levels of trust in courts in Europe, led to a growing demand for full-fledged judicial reform.

So far, we have identified the following problems in the functioning of the courts:

• Lack of a vision of further directions of judicial reform, with clearly defined measures, indicators of reform’s success, and deadlines for its implementation.
• The incompetence of one of the key bodies in the justice system – the High Qualification Commission of Judges.
• Inefficient/inoperative mechanisms for ensuring the accountability and integrity of the judges.
• Delay in fully solving the problem of the Kyiv District Administrative Court.
• Underfunding of the judicial system combined with inefficient use of allocated funds and lack of effective control mechanisms.
• Lack of a comprehensive vision of the development and reform of legal education.

Judicial reform will help to solve those problems. What should be changed? You can learn about it from the infographic: