Council of Europe experts recommend that the Ukrainian parliament provide additional guarantees for investigative journalism, OSINT analytics, and anti-corruption oversight in the new Civil Code, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk has sais.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Stefanchuk wrote that they had received an important and generally positive legal opinion from the Council of Europe regarding the draft of the new Civil Code No. 15150. He noted that European partners supported Ukraine's aspirations to modernize its civil legislation, while Council of Europe experts had offered a number of recommendations.
According to him, the comprehensive approach to regulating digital rights, as well as the clear distinction between the right to reply and the right to rectification, received high praise, which he described as a significant step forward for the digital age.
Stefanchuk has said that the recommendations specifically concerned additional guarantees for investigative journalism, OSINT analytics, and anti-corruption oversight, ensuring that data processing rules do not create obstacles for socially important activities.
He has said that special attention had been paid to the implementation of effective mechanisms to counter SLAPP lawsuits, alignment with the case law of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the wider limits of acceptable criticism of public figures, and the proportionality of remedies for violated rights.
The Speaker expressed gratitude to the Council of Europe for its professional analysis and concrete recommendations, adding that the working group was already processing proposals from the media community, experts, and international partners. He emphasized that further professional dialogue and consultations lay ahead with all parties that would be affected by the provisions of the new Code.
Stefanchuk has said the need to create a modern Civil Code that meets European standards, protects human rights, and preserves proper guarantees of freedom.
