The European Commission expects Ukraine to reform the Supreme Court and overhaul the bar bodies

The European Commission has reiterated its expectation that Ukraine must cleanse the Supreme Court. This demand is highlighted in the Commission’s latest report. Over a year ago, following the scandal involving Vsevolod Knyazev, the European Commission emphasized the need to address corruption risks within the Supreme Court. However, no significant changes have been made since then.

The report also underscores the lack of progress in reforming Ukraine’s bar. The Commission expects a complete overhaul of the governing bodies of the bar, particularly the Ukrainian National Bar Association, through a transparent selection process. In addition, issues related to lawyer qualifications, entry into the profession, and other critical matters need to be addressed.

Legal education reform was also highlighted. While progress in this area was acknowledged, the European Commission stressed the need to tackle key priorities: delineating legal education and training law enforcement professionals and continuing to strengthen and unify standards for legal education and admission procedures.

European partners have also emphasised the need to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the Public Integrity Council (PIC), including expanding access to information. The PIC itself has called for “full access to judicial dossiers (including candidate dossiers for judicial positions).”

Ukraine’s progress in judicial reform will ultimately determine whether its European integration leads to genuine change sought by the people or remains superficial window dressing. For more details on the necessary steps, refer to the Judicial Reform Roadmap.