“We are analyzing the Civil Code,” Mathernova said at a briefing in Kyiv.
“I must say that when complex questions get short answers, that is always a problem. This is legislation that needed to be updated for decades. The last changes were made during the communist era or shortly after it. So reform is necessary.”
She said it will be important, as MPs prepare for a second reading, to find the best way to harmonize the text with European standards.
On April 28, the Verkhovna Rada approved the draft Civil Code in its first reading with 254 lawmakers voting in favor.
Ukraine Pride and several other organizations said the draft
does not comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, the practice of
the European Court of Human Rights, and the EU’s human rights requirements
under accession talks. The National LGBT+ Consortium said the bill contains
provisions that are discriminatory toward LGBTQ+ people and inconsistent with
Ukraine’s commitments in the process of European integration, noting that
same-sex couples would not be able to have their relationships recognized as a
family even in court.