08 May 2026
(PHOTOS: Ekonomichna Pravda)
The Verkhovna Rada has passed a new Civil Code of Ukraine in the first reading, a document that could radically change the rules of life for every Ukrainian.
The authors of the draft law talk about "de-Sovietization" and approximation of legislation to EU norms, but the document has caused a wave of criticism in society, and Accent found out what experts are concerned about.
Christina Tristan, the initiator of the protests in Odesa, Anatoliy Boyko, head of the Odesa Committee of Voters of Ukraine, and Karolina Palaychuk, a lawyer and board member of the human rights organization Prozhektor, expressed their position.
As a representative of a women's initiative, I am concerned about the prospects of women in marriage under the new code and the very brazen interference of the state in marriage and in people's personal relationships. It seems to me that the civil code should affirm our right to free love, divorce, and resolve issues in marriage at our own discretion, but here I see that the state considers itself an adult parent who knows best and can offer us how much to put up with. For example, if a woman or even a man is subjected to domestic violence in a family and they want to divorce, there are no options for forced reconciliation. In this case, children are a lever of pressure on the family, and they are already stressed. It seems to me that marriage is entered into by adults, conscious and independent people. And they should divorce or initiate this topic as well.
Christina Tristian.
Society does not understand what exactly is written there and what it is for. And, accordingly, when we talk about the fact that, as the legislators tell us, the work has been going on for seven years, there have been very few public discussions of this bill. And accordingly, the public was told about this when the bill was passed in the first reading. Yes. And it is clear that society does not realize what specific norms are enshrined there and how they will work. Therefore, lawmakers write laws for people, right? And ordinary people will have to implement them and live according to these laws. That's why there is such a misunderstanding and miscommunication.
Karolina Palaychuk
Unfortunately, I don't think anything good about the new Civil Code. And in principle, in my opinion, the war and the state we are in now is not the best time to adopt such a serious document as the Civil Code. It would be better to wait until after the end of hostilities, the end of the war. If any changes were needed, as required, for example, by our European integration commitments, then changes had to be made. Why rewrite the entire wording of such a cornerstone document in all respects? Why the challenge, and why such a resonance? Well, obviously, because of either haste or some, I don't know, malice, there are a lot of, to put it mildly, controversial or, well, directly outrageous things in this civil code, in this document that is being proposed.
Anatolii Boiko
Кирило Бойко