Stress test for the ESBU: how the certification of Economic Security Bureau employees will take place

The final reboot of the agency is to take place within 18 months of Tsyvinskyi's appointment, i.e. by February 2027. The government has allocated UAH 244 million for the ESBU's certification. The Netherlands will provide another million euros for the Bureau's reform. 

According to Tsyvinskyi, the process will be an extremely difficult challenge for the institution. 

"The certification is very strict in terms of conditions and consequences. That is, there is legislation, a test, and an interview. And before the interview, you still have to pass the relevant tests. This whole story is causing serious turbulence and concern among employees," said the director of the Bureau. 

Who will evaluate the Bureau's employees and when 

The certification will be carried out by commissions formed from candidates selected by Tsyvinskyi and international organisations. At least seven members of the commission must participate in each meeting, three of whom are representatives of international organisations.

ESBU employees will have two weeks to submit their consent to the assessment. Refusal or failure to submit an application will automatically be grounds for dismissal.

The schedule for testing and interviews will be drawn up by the commission members in agreement with the director of the Bureau. Each stage of the ESBU will be announced on the website at least 10 days before it begins. Test questions without correct answers and weekly reports on the progress of the certification will also be published.

Not everyone will undergo certification 

The first to undergo certification will be the heads of departments and divisions of the ESBU's central office and their deputies. After that, other employees will follow.

However, not everyone will have to undergo certification. ESBU Director Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, his deputies Taras Shcherbay, Pavlo Buzdygan and Yuriy Belousov, and ESBU employees selected through a competition by newly formed personnel commissions are not subject to certification.

Two tests and an interview: what stages will have to be completed

The certification of the Economic Security Bureau will take place in three stages:

• testing of knowledge of legislation

• testing of general abilities 

• interview to determine the level of integrity and professionalism

The tests will be conducted in writing and using software. The questions and minimum passing scores will vary depending on the job category. They will be determined by the director of the ESBU, as will the duration of the tests.

Journalists will be allowed to attend all stages of the certification process, and interviews will be broadcast on the ESBU's official YouTube channel. At the same time, commission members are prohibited from disclosing information about candidates, and doing so will result in their removal.

Cheating on tests or interviews is prohibited, except in cases where it is provided for by a court decision. In exceptional situations, it is permissible to postpone a particular stage, but no more than three times. 

To assess integrity, commissions may obtain information from the ESBU itself, as well as from the NABU, the DBR or other state bodies, or from private individuals.

Everything will be assessed: from work performance to assets and administrative protocols, regardless of the statute of limitations or territorial affiliation.

Bureau employees will have access to the materials collected by the certification commissions in advance and will be able to provide written explanations on various issues. 

One interview will last up to two hours. If additional information needs to be verified, the commission may announce a break, but not longer than 10 days.

Failure to pass the tests will result in dismissal and 10 years without the ESBU

Employees of the Economic Security Bureau who fail the test on knowledge of legislation will not be admitted to the next stages and will automatically be considered to have failed the certification.

Integrity will be a key criterion. Failure to meet this criterion or reasonable doubt on the part of the commission will result in failure of the certification.

Those who fail the selection process will be dismissed from the ESBU within 14 days of the relevant decision being made. It can only be appealed in court and exclusively on the grounds of procedural violations. There is no provision for the commission's assessments to be reviewed on their merits by the court.

All those dismissed due to failure to pass or refusal to undergo certification will not be able to work in the Economic Security Bureau for the next 10 years.

We would like to remind you that earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to increase the number of staff at the central office of the ESBU by reducing the number of regional offices.

ESBU, Tsyvinskyi, Shcherbay, Buzdygan, Belousov, NABU, DBR