Human rights activists claim that the new Civil Code does not comply with EU requirements
Human rights organisations have appealed to the Verkhovna Rada to revise the new edition of the Civil Code of Ukraine, initiated by the Speaker of Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk, to bring it into line with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Ukraine's negotiating commitments to the European Union. This is stated in a press release provided to the publication Suspilne Kultura.
On 22 January, Ruslan Stefanchuk announced the registration of a new draft Civil Code in the Verkhovna Rada. The bill was registered under number 14394. It was signed by 138 MPs, most of whom represent the Servant of the People faction.
Human rights activists note that the proposed version of the document is not in line with European legal standards and contradicts Ukraine's declared course of harmonising its legislation with EU law.
In particular, the draft lacks provisions that would allow for judicial recognition of the existence of family relationships between people of the same sex or the introduction of any form of registered partnership. According to activists, this creates the risk of depriving LGBT+ community members of real legal protection for their families.
Separately, human rights organisations draw attention to provisions that provide for the automatic invalidation of marriages with people who have changed their gender. Such provisions, they note, could lead to human rights violations and contradict European principles of non-discrimination.
Activists emphasise that the adoption of the bill in its current form may not be a sign of progress in the field of human rights protection, but rather a legal regression.
In this regard, human rights organisations are calling on the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and MPs to halt the progress of the Civil Code bill in its current form and to support it only after it has been fully brought into line with Ukraine's European integration commitments. They have also appealed to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy to revise the draft law and make the necessary changes to bring it into line with the ECHR and the requirements of the European Union.
Civil Code of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada, European integration, human rights, human rights organisations
