LEGISLATION CHANGES IN MAY
May 31 The Law “On the Recognition of Law No. 2174-IX on the Protection of Intellectual Property during Martial Law as Invalid” came into force. This law abolishes the special “wartime” regime of terms introduced in April 2022 and restores the usual procedure for calculating the terms of protection of intellectual property rights.
Among the changes provided for in the text of the law, the following can be mentioned:
·Full restoration of deadlines. Deadlines for intellectual property actions (filing applications, paying fees, etc.) are again calculated according to the standard schedule, as before 2022.
·Transition period – minimum 75 days. The terms are renewed taking into account the time before their suspension, but are not less than 75 days, starting from May 31, 2025 and actually until August 14, 2025 inclusive.
For example, if annual fees for intellectual property rights (patents, utility models, plant varieties, etc.) or trademark renewal fees were not paid by May 31, 2025, they are considered to be paid on time if they are done by August 14, 2025.
·Resumption of protection procedures. Work is being resumed on filing objections, responding to official letters, renewing application deadlines, and other actions — all within the standard framework of the law.
It is worth noting that since the usual order of the terms for the protection of intellectual rights is returning, there is:
·Threat of loss of rights (due to renewed deadlines, there is a possibility of the spread of “frozen” cases, which may suddenly become overdue without user action).
·Financial responsibility (untimely payments will automatically lead to loss of rights due to renewal of terms).
·Legal due diligence (as the system returns to the pre-war regime, businesses need to update their intellectual property records, taking into account the deadlines until August 14, 2025, and prepare appropriate instructions).
May 14 The Law on the Renewal of the Run of Limitations was adopted.
According to the text of the law, the Civil Code of Ukraine removes the norm that suspends the limitation period for the period of martial law. According to the explanatory note to the law, it is noted that this legal norm is no longer relevant, since the judicial system continues to function, and persons wishing to protect their rights may apply to the court. In certain cases, such as involving a person in hostilities, the limitation period may not apply in accordance with Part 5 of Article 267 of the Civil Code, and for other valid reasons by court decision.
Thus, the purpose of the amendments is to ensure the constitutional right to defense, a fair trial, as well as guarantees of legal certainty and protection of potential defendants from expired claims by restoring the statute of limitations.
It is worth noting that the amendments to the law will enter into force three months after its publication, that is, on September 4, 2025. That is, from the moment the law enters into force, the suspended statute of limitations will be extended.
May 13 The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution approving the procedure for the operation of the information and communication system of the State Agrarian Register of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the SAR).
This provision was developed by the Ministry of Agrarian Policy in accordance with the Law of September 19 , 2024 No. 3980 ‑IX , which establishes clear rules for the operation of the SAR, maintaining the State Register of Agricultural Producers and their integration with other state registers.
Among the functionalities of this SAR registry are the following:
·A single database of producers - this register allows you to record and access information about all farmers and their activities, which ensures transparency and data unification.
·Optimization of state support - using the register to ensure the implementation of state agrarian policy, including in terms of providing state support, improving mechanisms that allow for a fairer distribution of subsidies, grants, loans, etc., which will also contribute to the implementation of the Ukraine Facility plan, in particular, regarding the provision of state support in the agricultural sector.
·Integration with registers and cadasters – establishing information exchange with other government systems and registers through interoperability, which contributes to data relevance.
Regarding the main goals of practical application in using the SAR registry:
·For agricultural producers, submitting applications for state support and a clear process for processing them is being simplified.
·An operational tool for monitoring the agricultural sector and planning budget support is emerging for state agencies.
·Analysts and businesses have access to unified public SAR data, which allows for qualitative analysis of the agricultural sector.
Access to the registry is already possible through the SAR web portal, integrated with the qualified electronic signature (QES) and popular services (for example, DIIA, Privat24, etc.)
(link to the SAR web portal – dar.gov.ua ).
In early May, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the State Statistics Service of Ukraine) initiated a public discussion of the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On approval of the action plan for the termination of the Unified State Register of Enterprises and Organizations of Ukraine (USREOU)”.
The document submitted for discussion provides for the following plan of action:
·Development of a plan of regulatory legal acts necessary for the gradual abolition of the Unified State Register of Public Administration and the transfer of its functions within the Unified State Register (USR), administered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.
·Adaptation of legislation to the new Law "On Official Statistics" (No. 2524-IX of August 16, 2022), which entered into force on January 1, 2023, and which no longer provides for the functions of maintaining the Unified State Register of Public Administrations under the State Statistics Service, due to the loss of validity of the Law "On State Statistics".
·Technical and legal integration of Registers, which takes into account the need for legislative regulation of the processes of state registration and business identification.
·Combating duplication of IT systems and reducing the number of registers while simultaneously developing a unified accounting model for business entities.
It is worth noting that the ESREOU system will operate until the transition is completed, while the termination of the ESREOU operation is planned gradually, without interruptions in the work of the register. The results of the public discussion on the issues considered by the State Statistics Service are currently awaited.
The State Statistics Service is expected to initiate a reform that should completely transform the business identification and registration system in Ukraine. The transition to a single digital platform under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice will ensure: the efficiency of the registry system, reduction of bureaucracy for enterprises, reliability and accessibility of statistical data, and compliance with European standards of digital government.
On may 27 The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has made important changes to Resolution No. 634 of May 27, 2022, which regulates the lease of state and municipal property under martial law.
As noted, the text of Resolution No. 614 , which amends the regulation of the lease of state and municipal property under martial law, provides for the following innovations:
1. Rent in temporarily occupied territories (hereinafter referred to as TOT):
If the expiration of the contract falls on a period without a clear end date for hostilities or occupation, the contract is automatically extended. The new term is 6 months after the cessation of hostilities or the liberation of the TOT, without the need to submit applications or make a separate decision by the lessor.
2. Lease of individuals/sole proprietors on military service:
Businesses with individual ownership whose tenants are mobilized will receive automatic extensions of contracts that expired during martial law. The new deadline is 6 months after the official cancellation or end of martial law .
3. Rental of property at airports/airports:
If the lease ends before their operation resumes, the terms are automatically extended for another 6 months after the actual resumption of operations of these facilities.
4. Extension of short-term contracts:
Contracts expiring within 4 months after the changes come into force are also extended for 4 months , with the exception of some points of Resolution No. 634.
5. During martial law, the rent rate is determined at the level of the last monthly payment under the contract, taking into account indexation, but without the application of discounts previously provided for by Resolution No. 634.
6. At auctions, the starting rent is also calculated using the same formula.
In practice, the implementation of the changes will take place as follows:
·If the TOT is liberated, or the hostilities have ceased, or their date has been announced, then there is no need to contact government agencies, the lease will be extended automatically.
·It makes it impossible to artificially terminate contracts due to bureaucratic delays or lack of applications.
·In fact, tenants will not have to do anything with the renewal of lease terms, the changes will take effect immediately after the effective date, which occurred on May 29, 2025.
On may 1 The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered a draft law on amendments to Article 36 of the Labor Code (hereinafter referred to as the Labor Code).
According to the explanatory note, the bill provides for the following:
· Introduce a new provision to Article 36 of the Labor Code, according to which an employee will be able to withdraw his application for dismissal by agreement of the parties.
· After submitting such an application, the employer is obliged to consider it and, within the period established by law, grant consent to the withdrawal - continuation of the employment relationship or reasonably refuse, providing the reasons for such refusal.
Also, the explanatory note reports on the intentions to make the following changes, in particular:
·Employees who have changed their mind about quitting and want to stay in their position without violating the formal procedure.
·Employers receive clear procedures that allow them to legally refuse an employee if necessary (for example, when another position has already been filled or a replacement has been prepared).
The draft law is currently in its initial stage — it has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada and is undergoing initial discussion.
