In order to assist the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine in determining whether candidates for positions as judges of the Specialised Circuit Administrative Court and the Specialised Administrative Court of Appeal meet the criteria of integrity and professional competence for the purposes of qualification assessment, an Expert Council shall be established and operate.
The Expert Council, in particular, analyses information about candidates, may interview them, and provide an opinion on a candidate’s non-compliance with the criteria of integrity and/or professional competence.
On September 15, 2025, six members of the Expert Council were elected at a meeting of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine.
Thus, a new institution has been established in Ukraine, which is a supporting and advisory body to the Commission.
The Expert Council consists of:
1) three persons proposed by the Council of Judges of Ukraine:
- Olena Hanechko – judge of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal;
- Yevhen Synelnykov – judge of the Civil Cassation Court within the Supreme Court;
- Valeriia Chorna – judge of the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
2) three persons nominated by international (foreign) organisations:
- Robert Hein Broekhuijsen – lawyer, judge of the Disciplinary Appeals Court of the Bar Association, Kingdom of the Netherlands;
- Jessica Lott Thompson – lawyer, senior legal advisor, legal reform specialist, Canada;
- Sigita Rudėnaitė – judge of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania.