Polish President Vetoes Civil Partnership Bills

Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Friday vetoed two bills that would have introduced so-called "cohabitation agreements". The agreements were intended to allow two adults living together to formally regulate issues such as joint property, access to medical information and funeral arrangements.

The legislation won the backing of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's entire governing coalition, including the conservative Polish People's Party (PSL), after a series of compromises. However, Nawrocki, an ally of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, rejected the bills, arguing that they would create an institution too similar to marriage.

He cited Poland's constitution, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman under the protection of the state. Overriding the presidential veto would require a three-fifths majority in parliament, which the governing coalition does not have.

Katarzyna Kotula, the government's minister for equality, said the president had turned his back on about two million people living in informal relationships. She argued that, because Poland already recognizes same-sex marriages contracted abroad under rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the government would now focus on ensuring those decisions are implemented in practice.

Activists from the Campaign Against Homophobia said they were disappointed that the president had rejected what they described as a minimal package of rights, noting that the bills were already far more limited than the registered partnership legislation originally proposed.

(Reuters, Max)