Verkhovna Rada adopts law on charity organizations

A total of 238 of the 269 registered for voting supported the law.

The law regulates the principles of charitable activity in Ukraine.

According to the document, education, healthcare, ecology, environment protection, animal protection, the prevention of natural and human-caused catastrophes and dealing with their consequences, aid to those injured as a result of such catastrophes, military conflicts or accidents, are spheres of charitable activity.

Moreover, philanthropy includes guardianship, legal aid, social protection and provision, culture, the arts, science and research, sports, physical education, human and citizen's rights, the development of territorial communities and the development of the international cooperation.

The law bans philanthropic organizations from providing charitable aid to political parties or in the name of political parties, and also from participating in election campaigning.

The law defines types of philanthropic activity, in particular, philanthropists jointly or independently can carry out charitable activity on the basis of the voluntary choice of one or several types of such activity: the free transfer of a second property to ownership, the free transfer of the rights to use property, the free transfer of income from a property and property rights, providing services and labor, joint activities and the implementation of other contracts for charitable activities, and also the public collection of charitable donations, and the execution of wills and inheritance agreements for the sake of philanthropic activities.