Brussels links Ukraine’s EU path to legal recognition of same-sex couples

The European Commission has reminded Ukraine that it must introduce legal recognition for same-sex couples as part of the country’s ongoing accession process to the European Union, according to Ukrainian media reports.

The issue was raised within the framework of Ukraine’s Rule of Law Roadmap, which outlines reforms Kyiv is expected to complete during membership negotiations. Officials in Brussels said the adoption of relevant legislation should follow the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Maymulakhin and Markov v. Ukraine. The Commission indicated it would closely monitor progress and continue addressing the matter during discussions surrounding Ukraine’s planned new Civil Code.

The reminder was also linked to Ukraine’s commitments under the “Fundamentals” negotiation cluster, specifically Chapter 23, which concerns the judiciary and fundamental rights. European officials said they would assess how provisions of the future Civil Code affect LGBTIQ+ rights during regular monitoring meetings with Ukrainian authorities.

Debate over the reforms intensified after draft law No. 14394 — a revised version of Ukraine’s Civil Code — was registered in parliament on January 22, 2026. The proposed legislation introduces a number of changes related to the grounds for both entering into and dissolving marriage, prompting widespread discussion among human rights organisations and activist groups.

Among the most controversial provisions were proposals to allow courts to grant permission for marriage from the age of 14 in cases involving pregnancy or the birth of a child. The draft also included provisions effectively prohibiting divorce during a wife’s pregnancy and until a child reaches one year of age, alongside the application of reconciliation measures.

Following criticism that spread on social media, the chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, announced that the clause lowering the marriage age to 14 would be removed from the draft.

He stressed that the provision had not been intended to encourage marriages involving minors. According to Stefanchuk, it referred solely to an exceptional judicial procedure designed to protect the rights and interests of a child already born.

Under the draft Civil Code, the general legal marriage age would remain 18 for both women and men. However, the text proposed certain exceptions: courts could allow marriage from the age of 16 if it was deemed to be “in the person’s interests,” and — prior to the announced revision — from 14 in cases of pregnancy or childbirth.

Currently, Article 23 of Ukraine’s Family Code permits marriage only from the age of 18, or from 16 following a court ruling confirming that such a decision serves the interests of the minor involved.

By Tamilla Hasanova