The Verkhovna Rada proposes to introduce a competition for the position of Prosecutor General
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered a draft law on strengthening the independence of the position of the Prosecutor General. The document provides for the introduction of a competitive selection of candidates for this position.
Co-author of the bill, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy Anastasia Radina stated that the adoption of the document should fulfill one of the requirements of the European Union on Ukraine’s path to membership.
“This approach is in line with EU practice. Both the EU Chief Prosecutor and the Prosecutor General of the member states are selected through a transparent competition. In almost half of the EU countries, political appointment is only the tip of the iceberg of the procedure, and this is preceded by a professional assessment and non-political selection of candidates,” Radina noted.
According to her, the proposed model does not contradict the Constitution of Ukraine, which stipulates that the President of Ukraine appoints the Prosecutor General, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine gives its consent or rejects the relevant submission. The draft law proposes to introduce a preliminary selection and assessment of candidates, from which the head of state will choose one candidate.
“Of course, the Government may have a different vision of how best to fulfill the EU benchmark. We are waiting for the government version, instead of the silence that has been going on for more than half a year,” Radina added.
The issue of changing the procedure for selecting the Prosecutor General is linked to Ukraine’s European integration obligations. According to Radina, without such reforms, the European Union may not approve Ukraine’s further steps on the path to membership due to risks in the area of the rule of law.
The proposed changes should strengthen the independence of the prosecutor’s office and make the procedure for appointing the Prosecutor General more transparent.
