On July 17-18, 2025, the delegation of the High Council of Justice headed by the Chairman of the High Council of Justice Hryhorii Usyk paid an official visit to Chisinau, where they participated in a number of events, namely, a trilateral meeting with representatives of the Superior Council of Magistracy of the Republic of Moldova and the Superior Council of Magistracy of Romania, as well as the Regional Conference «Strengthening Judicial Independence and Accountability: Regional Perspectives and Challenges».
The visit of the Ukrainian delegation took place at the invitation of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau and the Superior Council of Magistracy of the Republic of Moldova on the occasion of the celebration of the first anniversary of the «Judge’s Day».
On the first day of the visit, during the trilateral meeting, the participants discussed common challenges and needs in the activities of judicial councils, identified key priorities for cooperation, and exchanged best practices. The parties agreed to deepen professional exchange between representatives of the judiciary and judicial councils of Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, and to promote the development of regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing in areas of common interest.
On the second day of the visit, the Ukrainian delegation took part in the Regional Conference. During his speech, the Chairman of the High Council of Justice Hryhorii Usyk expressed gratitude for the invitation. In his address, he emphasized:
«The Judicial Councils of the Republics of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine face a number of common challenges. We have a common vision and a common desire to be part of the European democratic community, to be accepted into the European family».
Hryhorii Usyk spoke about the history of the establishment of the High Council of Justice as a key constitutional body of the judiciary in Ukraine and outlined current challenges. In particular, he noted that in 1998, the first judicial governance body, the High Council of Justice, was established in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine. In 2013, the European Court of Human Rights in its judgment in the case of «Oleksandr Volkov v. Ukraine» identified the lack of real separation of powers in Ukraine, the politicization of the High Council of Justice, and the lack of transparency in the procedures for appointing, career advancement and dismissing judges. The judgment was the impetus for a large-scale judicial reform, which resulted in amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine to strengthen the independence and accountability of the judiciary to the society.
The High Council of Justice was established, and fundamentally new transparent procedures for the selection of judges and election of members of judicial governance bodies - the High Council of Justice and the High Qualification Commission of Judges - were introduced. Their powers include the formation of a virtuous and professional judiciary. It is believed that the mechanisms for the formation and operation of these bodies comply with European standards and are able to guarantee professionalism, independence and impartiality in the performance of their tasks.
The member of the High Council of Justice Olena Kovbiy informed the participants about the institutionalization of integrity screening and lustration mechanisms in the judicial councils. She emphasized that Ukraine has made significant progress in improving such mechanisms, in particular through the activities of the Ethics Council and the Selection Commission, which is a subsidiary body of the HCJ for the selection of members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine. Participation of international experts in the work of these bodies ensures objectivity and impartiality of the assessment. Despite the challenges, the new system has proven to be effective and capable of self-purification.
The member of the High Council of Justice Tetiana Bondarenko shared the Ukrainian experience in reforming judicial responsibility. She focused on the mechanisms to ensure accountability of judges and prevent politically motivated dismissals, using the example of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case of «Oleksandr Volkov v. Ukraine».
During the conference, the participants discussed the achievements and challenges related to the implementation of judicial reforms in Moldova, Romania and Ukraine. Particular attention was paid to the role of judicial councils in strengthening the independence and accountability of the judiciary, as well as the ability of judicial councils to adapt to modern challenges – especially regarding integrity screening procedures, disciplinary mechanisms, and judicial oversight. The importance of compliance with European standards, effectiveness and sustainability of the relevant reforms was emphasized.
The Ukrainian delegation included the Chairman of the High Council of Justice Hryhorii Usyk, the members of the HCJ Olena Kovbiy and Tetiana Bondarenko, the Head of the Service of Disciplinary Inspectors of the HCJ Taras Kuzyk and the Head of the International Cooperation Division and Interactions with Public Authorities of Secretariat of the High Council of Justice Vladyslav Gurtenko.
The visit of of the delegation of the High Council of Justice to the city of Chisinau was organized with the support of the Council of Europe projects in the field of judicial reform and justice authorities, implemented in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
