Weekly analysis for 28 April — 04 May

Draft Law on Restoring Competitive Recruitment in Civil Service Passes First Reading, With Key Improvements Needed Before the Second One

Event

The Verkhovna Rada has adopted the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Restoration of Competitive Recruitment and the Improvement of Procedures for Entry, Service, and Termination of Civil Service” (reg. № 13478-1) in the first reading. (https://itd.rada.gov.ua/billinfo/Bills/Card/56817).

CPLR’s expert assessment

Repeated reminders from the EU—both in the Enlargement Report (Ukraine Report 2025) and in the list of draft laws required for adoption submitted by European Commissioner M. Kos to unlock €4 billion – along with an unfulfilled provision of the Public Administration Reform Roadmap, as well as sustained advocacy by non-governmental sector appear to bring some results.

On April 29, 2026, the draft law was adopted as a basis in the plenary hall.

Among positives of the draft law, the CPLR notes the restoration of competitive selection as a transparent mechanism for entry into public service; the introduction of a reserve pool for candidates who have successfully passed competition and may be appointed within one year; the possibility of internal career progression; the preferential consideration for veteran and youth candidates,provided equal professional competence; and several other improvements. 

The draft law also has several notable shortcomings:

1. excessively drawn out timelines for reinstating competitions. For instance, competitions for Category “A” civil service positions (senior civil service corps) would resume only from 1 September 2026, with up to 18 months allowed to announce such competitions;

2) extended service without competitive selection by individuals appointed by direct decision during martial law, provided they have held their positions for a certain period. For clear ressons, this further delays the full restoration of competitions and extends the deadlines for announcing competitions;

3) lack of provisions to restore the stability of civil service tenure and to limit arbitrary dismissals due to reorganization (e.g., changes in structure or staffing, etc.).

Given the considerable time that has passed since the draft law was registered in the Verkhovna Rada (July 16, 2025), it is reasonable to expect that the second reading will likely to be delayed – despite the fact that the restoration of competitive selection in civil service is included among the Ukraine Facility indicators and, according to the Government’s extended timeline, is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of this year.

To achieve the strategic outcome set out in the Public Administration Reform Roadmap —namely, attracting qualified professionals and integrity-based staff to the civil service on merit-based principles, through procedures aligned with European standards of public administration – it would be logical to ensure cooperation between the drafters of the law and civil society stakeholders in the governance sector. This could help identify viable alternatives to the proposed provisions for the second reading (a working group format within the relevant parliamentary committee would be particularly important).

This analysis was compiled with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework «Whole-of-Society Accession» project. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation.