The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted in the second reading and as a whole draft law No. 13478-1, which restores transparent competitive selection for civil service positions and local self-government bodies. According to Olena Shuliak, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on State Power Organization, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, the new regulation replaces the practice of appointments without competitions used during martial law.
Phased Implementation and Transition Periods
The transition to standard selection procedures will be implemented gradually, depending on the job category within state bodies. For top-tier category 'A' positions and local self-government bodies, open competitions will resume immediately after the law officially enters into force. For categories 'B' and 'C', lawmakers established transition periods of one and two months respectively.
At the same time, current employees appointed without competitions during wartime will retain their positions. Automatic dismissal is not planned as long as employees successfully pass their annual professional performance evaluations.
Diia Portal Integration and Professional Criteria
All stages of competitive procedures—from publishing official vacancy announcements to submitting documents and recording results—will be integrated with the state Diia portal. This digital platform will also host statistics and information regarding personnel appointments.
Professional competencies and skills remain the primary criteria for evaluating candidates. Legislative norms grant veterans priority rights in case of equal scores with other participants in the competitive selection.
Support for Veterans and Simplified Career Progression
A separate block of amendments concerns labor adaptation and integration of veterans into public administration. They will be able to undergo specialized internships in government agencies for up to six months, and representatives of veteran associations will join the Commission on the Higher Civil Service Corps.
To preserve the human resource potential of the state apparatus, the law allows employees with excellent annual evaluation results to move to higher positions without competitions. A simplified internal competitive selection mechanism is introduced for categories 'B' and 'C'.
Significance of the Reform for the State Apparatus
The return of competitive procedures to the civil service marks an important step toward increasing the transparency and accountability of government bodies. Amid ongoing challenges, the state aims to balance openness requirements with the need to retain qualified personnel while ensuring the social integration of war veterans.
