The proposal is a limited step toward broader recognition of same-sex relationships in one of the European Union's more socially conservative countries, international media outlets reported.
The bill would allow two people, regardless of gender, to sign a cohabitation contract before a notary.
Such contracts would regulate issues including housing rights, alimony, access to health information and health insurance, care leave, joint tax filings and certain tax exemptions, officials said.
The measure falls short of legalising same-sex marriage, which remains prohibited under Polish law, the Reuters news agency reported.
"We are going to parliament with a conciliation project for which we believe there is a majority in both the lower and upper houses," Katarzyna Kotula, a government official responsible for equality issues, told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who returned to power two years ago pledging to roll back policies of the previous right-wing government, has struggled to deliver reforms on LGBTQ rights and abortion.
His efforts have faced resistance from socially conservative coalition partners and the prospect of presidential vetoes from two successive presidents aligned with the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which was criticized by the European Union for undermining the rule of law and minority rights before losing power in late 2023.
The government hopes the bill’s limited scope will make it acceptable to conservative President Karol Nawrocki, whose approval would be required for it to become law.
LGBTQ advocacy groups have expressed frustration that the proposal does not go further but have acknowledged it may be the only measure with a realistic chance of passing parliament, according to Reuters.
Predominantly Catholic Poland remains among the most restrictive EU countries when it comes to LGBTQ rights, even as surveys show growing public support for legal recognition of same-sex couples.
Tusk said last month that Poland would not be pressured to legalise gay marriages after the EU's top court ruled that a member state must recognise a same-sex marriage legally concluded in another member country, even if its own law does not recognise same-sex marriages.
"The EU can't pressure us to do anything," Tusk said at the time.
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Source: TVP Info, Reuters, IAR, PAP