The article is devoted to the legal nature of the position of the Commissioner for the European Court of Human Rights as a factor in determining its legal status, including the procedure for appointing candidates to this position. The relevance of the study is mainly due to the incorrect approach reflected in the legislation of Ukraine to understanding the nature of the position of the Commissioner for the European Court of Human Rights and determining its legal status. The results of the study substantiate that the position of the Commissioner for the ECHR should be defined at the level of the legislation of Ukraine as a civil service position, given that the Commissioner for the ECHR, within the limits of his competence established by the provisions of the legislation, independently performs administrative functions related to the implementation of the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On the Execution of Decisions and Application of the Practice of the European Court of Human Rights” and other regulatory legal acts by which the Commissioner for the ECHR is guided in his activities. At the same time, requirements for candidates for the position of the Commissioner for the ECHR and the competitive procedure for his appointment should be established, with the Minister of Justice being given the opportunity to choose from among the three candidates selected by the competition commission for the position of the Commissioner for the ECHR, taking into account the special nature of his power-management and representative functions for further submission of the appropriate candidate to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for appointment. However, the Commissioner for the ECHR, due to the nature, tasks and powers inherent to this position, cannot be recognized as an employee of the patronage service of the Minister of Justice, since the patronage service is not accompanied by the personal performance of state and local government functions by employees of the patronage service, but rather by the provision of advisory, informational, communication and other assistance to political figures and civil servants who may form the patronage service. Similarly, the fact that the position of Commissioner for the ECHR is not classified as a political position excludes the fact that this official does not form state policy in a particular area of public relations, is not an elected official, and his or her managerial discretion in the main areas of his or her activity is insignificant.
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