President signed the Law on the establishment of two new specialized courts in Ukraine

President signed the Law on the establishment of two new specialized courts in Ukraine

On Monday, March 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a European integration law regarding the establishment of the Specialized District Administrative Court and the Specialized Appellate Administrative Court.

This was reported from the law №12368-1.

This law stipulates that the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine will announce a competition for the positions of judges within a month from the date the law comes into effect.

An Expert Council will be created and will function to verify candidates’ compliance with the criteria of integrity and professional competence.

On February 26, the Verkhovna Rada voted with 234 votes in favor of law №12368-1 on the creation of the High Administrative Court, which provides for the establishment of two courts – the Specialized District Administrative Court and the Specialized Appellate Administrative Court within the higher specialized courts.

In the CBO "Anti-Corruption Action Center," they noted that formally, the parliament fulfilled the requirements of the EU and the IMF, "but there are still a few provisions that will allow the authorities to promote hand-picked judges and influence the decisions of the appellate instance."