Currently Ukraine is passing through the most painful stage of the judicial reform, in particular, a significant number of courts are liquidated and this may lead to the dismissal of judges as well as the staff of liquidated courts. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that there is no clear-cut model to be followed for liquidating the courts, and there are no established timelines and no provisions as to what will happen to the judges of the liquidated courts etc. For the purpose of implementing such an important and large-scale reform as the judicial reform, it would be expedient to study the experience of neighboring countries. One of such countries is the Republic of Moldova, which has already made significant progress in implementing the judicial reform, while Ukraine is only at the beginning of this path. The purpose of the article is to determine the main provisions of the judicial reform in the Republic of Moldova and to develop practical recommendations for adapting the positive experience of this reform for Ukraine. The authors study the course of the judicial reform in the Republic of Moldova and highlight its positive and negative aspects. It was commenced in 2009 but did not bring the desired results, and therefore in 2016 this country has once again initiated the judicial reform targeted at a radical change of the entire judicial system. The article describes the role of the Higher Magistrates Council in this process. As demonstrated by the analysis of the judicial reform in the Republic of Moldova, the same reform held in Ukraine faces similar challenges. The country’s experience has shown that a judicial reform should be implemented in a comprehensive manner, with sufficient attention given to all of the elements of such a reform. The authors establish that, given the Republic of Moldova’s experience of reformation of the judicial system, Ukraine first of all needs to set the time frame within which the operation of liquidated courts is terminated and the newly established courts are launched. This issue directly relates to the transfer of judges and staff of the liquidated courts to the newly established courts. And such a transfer should be made automatically, if possible. The authors emphasize that it would be expedient if the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine could develop respective legal and regulatory framework for termination of operation of liquidated courts in practice. The authors also note that it is necessary to ensure that citizens are properly informed about changes in the rules of jurisdiction in localities where courts have been consolidated. 

List of legal documents 
 

Legislation 
1. Konstitutsiya Respubliki Moldova [Constitution of the Republic of Moldova]: Zakon [Law] ot 29 iyulya 1994 g. accessed 20 May 2018 (in Russian). 
2. O reorganizatsii sudebnyih instantsiy [On the Reorganization of Courts]: Zakon Respubliki Moldova [Law of the Republic of Moldova] ot 21 aprelya 2016 g. № 76 accessed 20 May 2018 (in Russian). 

Bibliography 
 

Authored books 
3. Kleandrov M, Ekonomicheskoe pravosudie v gosudarstvah-uchastnikah SNG: zakonodatelnoe obespechenie [Economic Justice in the CIS Member States: Legislative Support] (Yurist 2003) (in Russian). 

Journal articles 
4. Dolezhan V, ‘Sudova reforma i ratsionalizatsiia sudovoi systemy Ukrainy’ [‘Judicial Reform and Rationalization of the Judicial System of Ukraine’] (2011) 10 Naukovi pratsi Natsionalnoho universytetu “Odeska yurydychna akademiia” 107 (in Ukrainian). 
5. Shcherbaniuk O V, ‘Stanovlennia kontseptsii sudovoho prava’ [The Becoming of the Concept of the Court Law] [2015] 32(1) Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho natsionalnoho universytetu. Seriia Pravo 157 (in Ukrainian). 

Thesis 
6. Khotynska-Nor O, ‘Teoretyko-pravovi ta prakseolohichni zasady sudovoi reformy v Ukraini’ [‘Theoretical and Legal and Praxological Principles of Judicial Reform in Ukraine’] (dys d-ra yuryd nauk, Kyivskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni Tarasa Shevchenka 2016) (in Ukrainian). 

Thesis abstracts 
7. Nazarov I, ‘Sudovi systemy krain Yevropeiskoho Soiuzu ta Ukrainy: porivnialnopravovyi analiz’ [‘Judicial Systems of the Countries of the European Union and Ukraine: Comparative Legal Analysis’] (avtoref dys d-ra yuryd nauk, Natsionalnyi universytet “Iurydychna akademiia Ukrainy imeni Yaroslava Mudroho” 2011) 3 (in Ukrainian). 

Conferences 
8. Susarenco G, ‘Controlul asupra sistemului judiciar din Republica Moldova’ [Judicial Control in the Republic of Moldova] v Edificarea statului de drept: Conferinţei internaţionale ştiinţifico-practice [Building the Rule of Law: the International Scientific and Practical Conference] (Transparency International 2003) 89 (in Moldavian). 
9. Moskvych L, ‘Transformatsiia sudu v umovakh perekhidnoho periodu’ [‘Transformation of the court in a transitional period’] v Suchasni vyklyky ta aktualni problemy sudovoi reformy v Ukraini: Mizhnarodna naukova konferentsiia [Modern Challenges and Current Issues of Judicial Reform in Ukraine: International Scientific Conference] (Tekhnodruk 2017) 32 (in Ukrainian). 
10. Petrenko P, ‘Osoblyvosti vzaiemodii sudovoi i vykonavchoi vlady v umovakh sudovoi reformy’ [‘Features of the Interaction of judicial and executive power in the context of judicial reform’] v Suchasni vyklyky ta aktualni problemy sudovoi reformy v Ukraini: Mizhnarodna naukova konferentsiia [Modern Challenges and Current Issues of Judicial Reform in Ukraine: International Scientific Conference] (Tekhnodruk 2017) 38 (in Ukrainian). 
11. Selivanov A, ‘Sudova vlada maie proity reformu ponovlennia svoho avtorytetu i doviry’ [‘The judiciary should undergo a reform of its authority and trust’] v Suchasni vyklyky ta aktualni problemy sudovoi reformy v Ukraini: mizhnarodna naukova konferentsiia [Modern Challenges and Current Issues of Judicial Reform in Ukraine: International Scientific Conference] (Tekhnodruk 2017) 43 (in Ukrainian). 

Websites 
12. Kuibida R, ‘Suchasnyi etap sudovoi reformy: peredumovy, kliuchovi podii i vyklyky’ [‘The Modern Stage of Judicial Reform: Preconditions, Key Events and Challenges’] accessed 20 May 2018 (in Ukrainian). 13. Tenase A, ‘Sudebnaya reforma dolzhna finansirovatsya iz byudzheta gosudarstva’ [‘Judicial Reform Should be Financed from the State Budget’] (Informatsionnyy portal Vybor Moldovy, 15 yanvarya 2018 g.) accessed 10 June 2018 (in Russian).

14. Tenase A, ‘Reforma yustitsii: chto zhdet sudey i grazhdan Moldovy’ [‘Justice Reform: What Awaits the Judges and Citizens of Moldova’] (Sputnik Moldovy, 30 yanvarya 2018 g.) accessed 10 June 2018 (in Russian).