Pristina, Kosovo, July 10, 2020
Photo: prishtinainsight.com
Just a week after Montenegro legalized gay civil unions on July 1, politicians in neighboring Kosovo are aiming to do the same.
Kosovo’s new Civil Code opens the way for gay civil partnerships, Minister of Justice Selim Selimi stated at a press conference on Tuesday, July 7, reports bne INTELLINEWS.
The new code is currently in draft form, but it is expected to be well supported in Parliament, Selimi believes.
According to the Minister, the new code will regulate property relations within marriage through the marriage contract and open the possibility for same-sex unions—issues that have been left unresolved for many years in Kosovo.
Wording on the current law regulating marriage will remain the same, Selimi explained, while a new law that would regulate gay civil unions would be presented to Parliament in the near future.
The draft code was supported by the EU, several member countries of which helped Kosovo draft the document over the last few years. In 2014, the president of the Constitutional Court said that Kosovo de jure allows gay marriages.
The Minister’s announcement was also hailed by the American Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations, Richard Grenell, who tweeted, “Kosovo legalizes gay marriage. Thank you, @selim_selimi.” The Minister then corrected him, noting that the new code is only the first step towards gay marriage in Kosovo.
However, a number of LGBTI and civil society organizations are actually criticizing the development, arguing that the possibility of a special law allowing for and regulating gay civil unions in Kosovo is “discriminatory,” reports Prishtina Insight.
“The Ministry of Justice has failed to draft legislation that is comprehensive and non-discriminatory,” reads a letter from 49 organizations. “It is clear that the Draft Civil Code excludes persons from the right to partnership and the right to start a family on the basis of sexual orientation.”
