Ukraine’s parliament backs new Civil Code draft in first reading
The Verkhovna Rada supported the draft of the new Civil Code (Photo: Natalia Kravchuk / NV)
Ukraine’s parliament backed a draft of a new Civil Code in a first reading, with 254 lawmakers voting in favor, a Suspilne correspondent reported on Apr. 28.
Ukraine Pride and several other groups said a draft of the new Civil Code does not comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and EU requirements in accession talks on human rights.
“European institutions explicitly require legal recognition and protection of same-sex couples. This is anticipated by ECHR rulings, Ukraine’s commitments under European integration and the rule of law roadmap,” the groups said.
The National LGBTI Consortium said the bill contains provisions that are discriminatory toward LGBTIQ+ people and are inconsistent with Ukraine’s obligations in the EU accession process. In particular, same-sex couples would not be able to be recognized as a family even by a court.
On Jan. 22, 2026, Ukraine’s parliament registered bill No. 14394, a new version of the Civil Code proposing a range of changes to the grounds for entering into and dissolving marriage that have sparked debate among human rights groups and activists.
Among the provisions are lowering the minimum marriage age, by court decision, to 14 in cases of pregnancy or childbirth, as well as a de facto ban on divorce during a wife’s pregnancy and until a child reaches one year of age, along with mandatory reconciliation measures.
On Feb. 6, parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said lawmakers had decided to remove the provision lowering the marriage age to 14 from the draft Civil Code. He said the norm was not intended to encourage marriages at 14, but referred to an exceptional court procedure aimed at protecting the rights and interests of a child.
Under the draft Civil Code (Private Law Code), the general marriage age would remain 18 for both women and men, but exceptions were proposed:
— marriage from age 16 by court decision if it “meets the interests of the person”;
— marriage from age 14 in cases of pregnancy or childbirth, also by court decision.
The current Article 23 of Ukraine’s Family Code allows marriage at 18, or from 16 by court decision if it is proven to be in the minor’s best interests.
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