The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with representatives of leading NGOs and legal experts in the field of media, human rights and digital security. The main topic of discussion was proposals to two key draft laws registered in the Parliament: No. 14056, which aims to update the provisions of Book One of the Civil Code of Ukraine, and No. 14057, which aims to update the provisions of Book Two.
The meeting focused on a wide range of issues directly related to freedom of speech, privacy and protection of human honour and dignity. In particular, they discussed determining the amount of compensation for non-pecuniary damage, the statute of limitations in cases of dissemination of false information, regulation of the rights to reply, refutation and reconciliation. Other topics raised included the prohibition of dissemination of information that violates personal rights, the use of a person's name and digital image, the protection of personal data, as well as the rights to information, digital privacy and secrecy of correspondence. Separate consideration was given to issues related to the personal rights of legal entities.
Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that amendments to the Civil Code should be as balanced as possible: "It is not just about updating the provisions of the Code. We need to find a balance between the right to freedom of speech, the right to privacy and the effective protection of the dignity of every person." According to him, once the proposals have been processed, another meeting is planned before the second reading of the draft laws to propose balanced and balanced solutions.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada stressed that the recodification of the Civil Code is a common cause of the whole society: "Together we will make the Civil Code of Ukraine modern, European and one of the best human rights protection instruments in the world. The next books of the Code will also be open for public discussion."
He noted that the recodification is an ambitious task and requires maximum openness and involvement of a wide range of experts. Ruslan Stefanchuk assured that all the developed books of the Civil Code will be published for preliminary review before their registration. This will allow all interested parties to provide their suggestions and comments.
"We really want to make the Civil Code of Ukraine the best in the world. We have great potential for this. We are open to discussions, ready to work together and are convinced that this code should be a victory for the entire Ukrainian society," said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
The event was attended by leading Ukrainian lawyers and experts: Nataliia Kuznetsova, Doctor of Law, Academician of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, Professor of the Department of Civil Law of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; Maryna Velykanova, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Lawmaking and Scientific and Legal Expertise of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Oleksii Kot, Director of the Institute of Lawmaking and Scientific and Legal Expertise, Doctor of Law; Mykhailo Khomenko, Candidate of Law, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Private Law Research at the Institute of Lawmaking and Scientific and Legal Expertise; Oleh Posykaliuk; Yaroslav Yurchyshyn.