Six Draft Laws from the Parliament: Initiatives That Threaten to Derail Judicial Reform

Judicial reform achievements — cleansing the judiciary, selecting high-integrity candidates, and ensuring declaration transparency — are now at risk of being undone by a series of harmful draft laws. The DEJURE Foundation has compiled a list of the most dangerous legislative initiatives currently under consideration by MPs. These proposals could severely jeopardise the creation of an independent and fair judiciary in Ukraine:

№13137 / №13137-1 – “On (Not) Holding Judges Accountable”

Initiators: Maslov / Pavlish
This proposal would effectively dismantle disciplinary accountability for judges by narrowing the grounds, deadlines, and types of sanctions available. The result? It would become virtually impossible to punish bribe-takers, collaborators, or drunk-driving judges.

№7033-d – “On Concealing Court Decisions”

Initiators: Maslov, Stefanchuk, Babii
This draft would allow judges to arbitrarily restrict access to large volumes of court decisions in the judicial register, under the pretense of “security reasons.” In reality, this is about censorship and the erosion of public oversight of the judiciary.

№11533 – “On Closing Real Estate Registers”

Initiators: Fris, Demchenko, Vatras
Aimed at further limiting access to the Land Cadastre and the real estate ownership register — supposedly to protect defence enterprises. In practice, it would obstruct journalists from exposing corruption, prevent integrity checks on candidates, and hinder property verification by the public. Worse, the law allows law enforcement heads to see who submitted information requests, enabling surveillance of activists and journalists.

№6049 – “On the Career Fast Track for Loyal Judges”

Initiators: Maslov, Hryshyna
Would allow local-level judges to be promoted to appellate courts without any competence or integrity assessment. If the High Council of Justice lacks quorum, this could be done by the discredited Council of Judges. This would turn personal loyalty — not professionalism or integrity — into the main driver of career advancement in the judiciary.

№13114 – “On Hiding Judges’ Declarations”

Initiators: Maslov, Vatras, Stefanchuk
Proposes to fully conceal judges’ declarations if they or their relatives are in the military or in occupied territories. However, such protection could be ensured through targeted redactions, rather than blanket secrecy.

№13165 – “Imitation of the Reform of the Supreme Court”

Initiators: Shmyhal, Stefanishyna
Proposes to have the Public Integrity Council (PIC) assess the Supreme Court and High Anti-Corruption Court, but without international experts. The PIC’s conclusion would be purely advisory, with no legal force. Moreover, only data from the last three years could be reviewed, meaning past violations would be officially “forgotten.”

Passing these draft laws would represent a major rollback of Ukraine’s judicial reform efforts. Corrupt judges could remain in office indefinitely, and low-integrity candidates could advance into appellate and higher courts unchecked. This threatens to erase eight years of gradual transformation in the judiciary and could undermine Ukraine’s EU accession prospects.

The DEJURE Foundation will continue to monitor and expose these regressive initiatives and advocate for their rejection.