In July, the overall assessment in the sector dropped from 1.17 to 0.28. This was primarily due to the lack of progress in European integration reforms – the reform of the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine (HQCJ), the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU), and the reform of the Supreme Court. Draft Law No. 13382, registered in July, which envisages the return of international experts to the Selection Commission for HQCJ members, remains stalled. Neither the President nor the Verkhovna Rada appointed the recommended candidates to the CCU, while the harmful Draft Law No. 13165-2 on the imitation of Supreme Court reform was not revised and also remains stalled in Parliament.

Among the significant developments undermining Ukraine’s European integration is the launch by the High Council of Justice of a new HQCJ Selection Commission – without international experts. Instead of international experts, the new Selection Commission is to include candidates from Ukrainian bodies – the Bar Council, the Prosecutors’ Council, and the National Academy of Legal Sciences. The Council of Judges, known for delegating candidates with questionable reputations to commissions in key selections, will also continue to nominate members to the HQCJ Selection Commission. The formation of the Selection Commission without international experts may roll back reform achievements and return the process to square one.