Zełenski proposes to establish two new specialized administrative courts in Ukraine: an appellate and an regional court
The initiative of President Volodymyr Zelensky was introduced to the Verkhovna Rada in the form of the relevant bill — No. 13302, which aims to radically modernize the administrative justice system and ensure more effective and modern justice in this field. According to the explanatory note to the document, the new bill was developed in accordance with the constitutional provisions and the requirements of the current laws of Ukraine, in particular the Law “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine 'On Judicial System and the Status of Judges'”, as well as other regulatory acts governing the creation and functioning of specialized courts. The main goal is to initiate the activity of two courts that will have a specialized jurisdiction over administrative cases and cases concerning the rights of citizens, legal entities, and state authorities. The explanatory note emphasizes that the bill proposes to create a unified legal mechanism for Kyiv and the whole country in general, placing the new courts in the capital city, with their territorial jurisdiction extending across Ukraine. This means that the Specialized Regional Administrative Court and the Specialized Appellate Administrative Court will operate in Kyiv, but their decisions will have enforceable power throughout the country. Before submitting the government document to the parliament, this initiative was approved by the High Council of Justice — one of the key institutions in Ukraine’s judicial system management. It supported the creation of these new courts, indicating their importance and necessity for the reform of the judicial system. This is not the first step taken by officials in this direction. It is worth recalling that back in December 2022, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law that envisaged the abolition of the Kyiv Regional Administrative Court and the creation of a Kyiv City Regional Administrative Court based on its site. At that time, this move sparked a wide discussion among judicial experts and the public, since reforming the administrative justice system is one of the key components of the state judicial policy. The new bill will be an important step towards modernizing Ukraine’s judicial system, as it aims to provide more specialized, transparent, and swift review of administrative cases, which is particularly relevant in the context of the country's gradual move towards European standards of justice. Implementing this initiative will open new opportunities to increase public trust in the judiciary and reduce the influence of political factors on judicial activities. Thus, the submission of the bill to the Parliament regarding the creation of specialized courts is a strategic step in the context of systemic reforms of Ukraine’s judicial system and demonstrates the authorities’ desire to improve the level of justice and fairness in the country. Whether it will be implemented in the near future depends on the political will of the parliament and professional expert discussions around this important bill.