In Ukraine, there are proposals to change how courts are funded and to introduce KPIs for judges
An electronic petition addressed to the Cabinet of Ministers has been officially registered in Ukraine, proposing a fundamental change to the current approaches to financing the judicial system and the introduction of financial incentives for judges based on KPIs.
The initiator of the petition believes that the current model does not encourage the prompt adjudication of cases, resulting in a significant backlog of pending cases in the courts and hearings that are often postponed for long periods of time.
The author emphasizes that the proposals are aimed at the rational use of budget funds, reducing the burden on the judicial system, and expediting the adjudication of court cases.
Petition No. 41/010157—26ep, “On Changing Approaches to Financing the Judicial System and Introducing KPIs for Judicial Performance,” was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The petition requests that the Cabinet of Ministers, as the highest body in the executive branch responsible for implementing the State Budget, initiate legislative amendments before the Verkhovna Rada to optimize expenditures on the maintenance of the judicial apparatus.
The introduction of a system for evaluating judges’ performance and linking a portion of their funding to the results of their work could help reduce case processing times and ensure a more rational use of budget funds.
Separately, the petition proposes developing and implementing a system of key performance indicators for the judiciary.
According to the petition, the bonus portion of judges’ salaries, as well as additional funding for the courts, could be contingent on the number of cases heard in a timely and high-quality manner, as well as on the absence of court decisions that have been overturned by appellate courts.
In the author’s view, such a financial approach would incentivize judges to avoid dragging out court proceedings and to work toward achieving results for citizens.
The petition also provides an example of a possible compensation model, under which a judge would receive a fixed salary of 8,000 hryvnias and an additional 300 to 500 hryvnias for each closed case.
The author of the petition believes that under such conditions, judges would not accumulate thousands of pending cases, the number of postponed hearings and lengthy trials would decrease, and the state would be able to use budget funds more effectively.
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