Lithuanian president sees 'close relationship' bill as less polarizing than 'civil union'

VILNIUS – Out of Lithuania's two alternative draft laws aimed at legally regulating the relationship between unmarried people living together, the more conservative "close relationship" bill would cause less controversy, President Gitanas Nauseda has said.  

"Yes, the civil union bill takes into account some of the comments I had previously made on the partnership law," Nauseda said in an interview with 15min on Wednesday. 

"But today, as we look at the concrete situation in our society, I think that [we need a law that] would meet less resistance from society and would still allow us to go down the path of creating a mechanism of legal protection for those supporting same-sex cohabitation, a perspective that would be better served by Mr. Saudargas' bill," he said. 

The two alternative bills passed the first reading in the parliament in May. 

The draft Law on Civil Union, which would allow a couple to register "a civil union", was registered by a group of MPs from the ruling bloc as a compromise after their civil partnership bill was rejected by the parliament a year ago. 

The Civil Code amendments on "close relationship" were tabled by a group of more conservative MPs opposed to civil partnerships.

MP Paulius Saudargas of the Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats, who presented the draft on "close relationship" to the parliament, stressed that, unlike the other bill, it draws a clear distinction between unmarried different-sex or same-sex couples and family relations.