Paweł Szefernaker, Nawrocki's chief of staff, said on Wednesday that the bill now before the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, would in practice create civil partnerships in Poland and give them rights similar to marriage.
“There is and will be no consent from the president to the legalization of civil partnerships,” Szefernaker said.
The lower house is considering a government bill on the status of a closest person in a relationship and on cohabitation agreements, together with implementing legislation.
The proposal would allow two adults, including same-sex couples, to sign a contract before a notary.
The agreement would be registered at a civil registry office and could cover issues including property arrangements, maintenance obligations, use of a shared home, access to medical information, and powers of attorney for everyday matters.
Szefernaker said the accompanying legislation would amend more than 200 acts and introduce the terms “civil partnership” and “partner” into the Polish legal system.
“This is a law that de facto changes the entire legal system in Poland, adapting it to equate marriage and spouse with civil partnership and partner,” he said.
He added that the bill included measures currently reserved for married couples, including the possibility of filing joint tax returns.
The issue is politically sensitive in Poland, where the constitution refers to marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Supporters of legal recognition for unmarried couples argue that the state should provide practical protections for people who share their lives but are not married.
Conservative opponents say the bill would create a parallel institution to marriage.
Asked whether Nawrocki would veto the bill, Szefernaker said a final decision would be made only after the legislation completed the parliamentary process and reached the president.
“If there are no changes in this law, if there is no change in the philosophy of thinking, meaning if the philosophy of thinking about civil partnerships, about quasi-marriages, remains, then we will inform you about further actions,” he said.
At the same time, Szefernaker said Nawrocki was open to legislation that would create the status of a “close person” to help people manage practical matters in daily life.
“We want to help people in everyday functioning, but not create law that would allow relationships to arise that have the same privileges as marriages,” he said.
Barbara Socha, an adviser to the president, said the government proposal affected the broader legal order while bypassing the model of marriage set out in Article 18 of the constitution.
She said the bill would give the new arrangements rights and privileges similar to marriage without equivalent obligations
Socha said the president would support solutions dealing with access to medical information, hospital visits, and funeral arrangements, provided they did not interfere with the constitutional structure of the state.
(rt)
Source: IAR, PAP