Stefanchuk presented the project for a new Civil Code of Ukraine, consisting of nine books.
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, presented the draft of a new Civil Code, which was supported by parliament in the first reading in April 2026 year. The document, consisting of nine books, covers digital assets, rights related to AI-generated content, mechanisms for reparations for war-related damage, and family law. The application of the code will not begin earlier than one year after the end of the martial law.
On October 7, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk presented the project for a new Civil Code of Ukraine in the main building of Ivan Franko National University in Lviv. According to him, the code is intended to serve as the foundation for private law for the next decade. This is the 62th presentation of the project in universities.
The parliament supported the document in the first reading in April 2026; it is currently undergoing public and expert discussion before the second reading. Стефанчук noted that the existing legislation was written for peacetime, and the war has shown that many provisions are not working and need to be revised; the experience gained should be taken into account in future regulation.
The new code will consist of nine books. They establish principles of benevolence, autonomy of will, and justice; introduce the "right to informational privacy" and the status of a digital person; provide for the transition to the European classification of property and a legal regime for "digital things," including tokens and virtual assets; adapt intellectual property law to EU directives and regulate rights to objects created using artificial intelligence.
Specifically, there are European model regulations for contracts and civil law mechanisms for obtaining reparations for damage caused by war. Family law is integrated into the code, strengthening the protection of children; it will be possible to inherit digital assets – accounts and profiles, as well as biological material, including reproductive cells. The book on international private law combines rules for relations with foreign elements in accordance with EU standards, and the book on the publicity of civil law establishes the presumption of the reliability of state registers.
The new regulations are planned to be introduced gradually, and the application of the code will begin no earlier than one year after the end or cancellation of the martial law. The draft is being discussed with judges, notaries, lawyers, doctors, representatives of religious communities, and LGBTQ+ activists.