Civic groups and media oppose Ukraine’s new Civil Code bill
More than 40 civic organizations and media outlets urged Ukraine’s parliament not to adopt draft Civil Code No. 15150 or advance it in its current form. They support modernization but favor separate legislation or coordinated amendments to the existing code, citing risks to rights, property protection and legal certainty.
Hlavní body
- More than 40 civic organizations and media outlets called on the Verkhovna Rada not to adopt draft Civil Code No. 15150.
- A petition against adopting the bill collected the required 25,000 signatures in less than a day and more than 29,000 overall.
- Ukraine’s parliament supported the bill in first reading on April 28, 2026.
- The draft was submitted to parliament by its chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, who is also described as an initiator of the project.
- The signatories cite risks to freedom of expression, privacy, the rights of women, children and LGBTİ+ people, and property protection.
- The Council of Europe identified shortcomings that need to be corrected, while the International Press Institute urged removal of provisions that could endanger investigative journalism.
- Supporters of modernization propose separate bills or coordinated blocks of amendments to the existing Civil Code.
Proč je to důležité
A wholesale replacement of the Civil Code could affect fundamental rights and the protection of state, communal and private property. It could also unsettle established judicial practice, prolong disputes and require years to develop settled precedent for disputed rules. The issue is therefore significant both for rights protection and for how Ukraine approaches the modernization of its civil law and alignment with European standards.
Co se stalo
Representatives of more than 40 civic organizations and media outlets called on Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada not to adopt draft Civil Code No. 15150 in second reading or in full, and to stop advancing it in its proposed form. They support modernizing civil legislation but propose doing so through separate legislative initiatives or mutually coordinated amendments to the existing code. They also called for an independent legal assessment of the proposed changes, their effects on human rights and judicial practice, legal certainty, and Ukraine’s European integration commitments. The bill had been supported in first reading on April 28, 2026, after being submitted to parliament by chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, who is also described as one of its initiators. A petition against adoption obtained the required 25,000 signatures in less than a day and ultimately more than 29,000.
Jak to popisují ukrajinské zdroje
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the joint call by civil society and media against adopting the draft and on the parliamentary route needed to modernize civil law. Particular attention is given to the extensive judicial practice built around the current code and the disruption that a complete replacement could cause. Concerns highlighted in Ukraine include freedom of expression, privacy, equality-related rights, the protection of private and public property, and environmental provisions.
Jak to popisují zahraniční zdroje
International organizations are presented as external assessors of the draft. The Council of Europe said the bill contains shortcomings that need to be corrected, while the International Press Institute called for removing provisions that could endanger investigative journalism and freedom of expression. Academic criticism also raises the possibility that the environmental provisions conflict with established international, Ukrainian and European legal standards.
Souvislosti
Ukraine’s existing Civil Code has been in force for more than 22 years, during which courts developed a substantial body of practice relied upon by citizens, businesses, lawyers and the state. Civic organizations and media support modernization and closer alignment with European standards, but favor amendments to the current code or separate, mutually coordinated legislative packages. They also call for broader participation by judges, lawyers, academics, civic organizations and other stakeholders.