Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andrii Smirnov expects to resolve the issue or find a compromise regarding the seventh member of the advisory expert group for the selection of candidates for the positions of judges of the Constitutional Court in the near future.
He stated this in an interview with the publication “Left Bank”reports Ukrinform.
“The Verkhovna Rada has already adopted the law on amendments to the law on Constitutional Court, which provided for the creation of an advisory group of experts, which includes representatives of our international partners, that is, persons delegated from international partners, who will be a kind of filter for checking candidates from various appointing entities for compliance with the criteria of integrity and professionalism. Currently, one question remains unresolved – the seventh member of this advisory group of experts, because in the adopted version of the law there are six members of the advisory group of experts. This issue, I really hope, will be resolved in the near future. Or an adequate compromise has been found,” Smirnov noted.
He recalled that the conclusion of the Venice Commission was recently received, which insists that the relevant advisory group should consist of seven experts, and the vast majority of these members should be delegated by international experts in order to “ensure the most impartial independent assessment of compliance with the criteria of integrity and professionalism.”
The deputy head of the OP emphasized that the status of experts will be advisory and independent, but it will be impossible to ignore the conclusions of this advisory group during the selection of candidates for the KSU judge.
According to him, an analogy already exists — the Ethics Council under the High Council of Justice, where it was also created as an advisory body.
Smirnov emphasized that when the issue of the seventh member of the advisory group for the selection of judges of the KSU is resolved, the issue of holding competitions will be finally unblocked.
At the same time, he reminded that five positions of judges are currently vacant in the Constitutional Court – three according to the quota of the Verkhovna Rada and two according to the quota of the Congress of Judges.
As reported, on June 17, 2022, the European Commission, in its opinion on granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership, provided seven recommendations for further European integration, including the adoption and implementation of legislation on the procedure for selecting judges of the Constitutional Court, including the pre-selection process based on an assessment of their integrity and professional skills, in accordance with the recommendations of the Venice Commission.