The European Union (EU) welcomes the Verkhovna Rada’s adoption of the law to restore and improve open, merit-based selection and recruitment to the civil service and local self-government in line with Ukraine plan 2024-2027 and PAR roadmap commitments.
The adoption of the law (draft law No. 13478-1) marks an important step in Ukraine’s EU accession process by professionalisation of the civil service in line with EU standards. Competitive selection and recruitment process in the civil service was suspended under the martial law since February 2022 to allow public authorities to fill vacancies quickly and ensure the continuity of the functioning of the government under unprecedented circumstances. As Ukraine continues to defend itself, rebuild, advance recovery efforts, and prepare for the EU membership, its institutions need to both attract and retain qualified professionals. Competitive recruitment is one of the steps towards ensuring that.
The adopted law restores and improves open, transparent and merit-based selection and recruitment, including strengthening integrity checks for top management positions. The restart of competitive selection and recruitment will take into account wartime realities and the contribution of those who havebeen recruited during martial law period and continued to serve the state after the start of the full-scale invasion. The Cabinet of Ministers will now have to put in place necessary secondary legislation to ensure effective implementation of the law.
“Even as Ukraine defends itself against Russia’s war of aggression, the country keeps investing into building strong institutions. This reform matters: jobs in the public service should be awarded to the best candidates, selected openly, fairly and on merit. This is what Ukrainian citizens expect, what recovery process needs and is aligned with EU standards. Effective implementation of the law will be key and the EU will continue to support and stand with Ukraine every step of the way,” said Deputy EU Ambassador Gediminas Navickas.
Restoring and improving merit-based recruitment is one of Ukraine’s commitments under the Ukraine Plan 2024-2027 and under the Public Administration Reform Roadmap (which was one of the opening benchmarks for Cluster 1 on EU fundamentals that opened in June 2026). Adoption and implementation of this reform also addresses key recommendation of the European Commission’s 2025 Enlargement Report on Ukraine. Public administration reform forms part of the “EU fundamentals” cluster, which is opened first and closed last in the EU accession negotiation.
“Appointments without competition were a necessary response to the extraordinary circumstances of the full-scale war, allowing the state to maintain its capacity while regular recruitment procedures could not always be safely conducted. Today we are taking the next step. Ukraine needs an open and professional recruitment system that gives citizens a fair opportunity to enter public service and enables public institutions to attract the people they need. The renewed system will take into account wartime security realities, while the transition will be gradual and responsible, recognising the contribution of those who have kept the state functioning during the war,” said First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniyenko.