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This week, the ruling coalition partners should have already discussed the civil association bill that recently fell into their hands. Parliamentarians are seeking a consensus on which law should finally see the light of day and register with the Seimas.
Public opinion is slowly changing
It is true that the modifications to the Civil Code presented to the Seimas in matters of association were rejected in 2011, 2015 and 2017. However, Saulius Spurga, associate professor and political scientist at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), believes that the results of the new Seimas elections show that public opinion on LGBT-related issues is changing.
“The changes are obvious. The first Baltic Pride parade caused quite a stir. As I recall, [eiseną] guarded by huge police squads and there were more police officers than participants. Now he no longer arouses such passions, “said S. Spurga.
He notes that the problems of sexual minorities are emerging more and more, but are no longer as important as they used to be.
“Attitudes have changed, but there are also many conflicts. There are many sparks, bonfires and small confrontations all along this front line. They do not turn into big scandals that get our attention, but practically every week we have a scandal or bigger or bigger event: the questions of Gražulis and Uspaskich and various clashes on social media. This is a subject of great passion, “said S. Spurga.
According to the political scientist, some Lithuanian citizens react sensitively to the issue of association because it is related to values, while some fear that such changes in the law may pose a threat to the family institution.
“The reaction is of the same attitude that contradicts certain values and traditions. You can see that there is already a step here to enter the so-called family fortress, the Trojan horse, ”said S. Spurga.
Questionnaire – for conservatives, help – from socdems
The MRU associate professor has no doubt that when the bill appears in the Seimas, it will receive a series of opponents. Of the six parties that have joined the Seimas, half speak of the legalization of the association in their programs. In addition to the Freedom Party, the Liberal Movement and the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party also declare that goal.
The remaining three winners, the Lithuanian Christian Homeland-Democratic Union, the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union and the Labor Party, do not mention such or similar opportunities in their programs. What’s more, these parties, with the exception of the conservatives, are strongly opposed to same-sex couples.
“It just came to our attention then. Now they dive into it by hand. I had to listen several times when this question was put to the party leaders, they shook hands and said it didn’t matter at all. But I think it was a way. of detachment, putting trash under the rug, ”laughed S. Spurga.
Ingrida Šimonytė herself stated during the presidential election campaign that she would support the legalization of the association for both one and different genders. She repeated this as a conservative candidate for prime minister.
However, it is important that I. Šimonytė also said that the legalization of the association is not a matter of prime importance and did not propose to include it in the Government’s program.
However, in this case, the Social Democrats and undecided members of the Seimas can become salvation for the initiators of the Civil Association Law.
“This is the European position of the Social Democrats, they probably shouldn’t do anything else. Now we are talking about that law as if it were written in stone, but apparently there may also be various provisions, nuances, compromises. Apparently, much will depend on the ability of both parties to engage in dialogue.
In addition to being clear supporters and opponents, there are also undecided ones. There are those who can debate, who can listen to one or another argument. Apparently, the strength of the provisions of that law itself may vary. There may be several solutions here, ”said S. Spurga.
However, S. Spurga himself believes that the bill can be legalized, despite all the disputes that await it.
“I think this project has the potential to be adopted according to the current deployment of political forces. Because anyway, the Social Democrats do not belong to the ruling majority, but traditionally they should support, perhaps someone else,” predicted the associate professor. of the MRU.
Wants to unite, not divide
The project presented to the coalition partners is based on 2017. Seimas members Aušrinė Armonaitė and Viktorija Čmilyt members-Nielsen proposed amendments to the Civil Code without success.
They present a society as the cohabitation of two single individuals, building a family relationship without registering a marriage based on a continuous emotional bond, mutual understanding, responsibility, respect, shared parenting and the like.
“The main change is that in the proposed project we focused on the institute of registered companies. This means that the association’s regulation takes effect when the members register it in accordance with the law, ”said Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, president of the Seimas Human Rights Committee.
Of course, in the hands of the coalition partners, the law can change significantly. However, TV Raskevičius hopes that the parties, by adding their proposals to the amendments, will find a general consensus.
“This is the goal of the common format, which is to take those comments and suggestions into account as much as possible, and make the project as divisive as possible and unite political forces in the Seimas as much as possible,” the politician said. .
Daylight would show in the spring.
TV Raskevičius hopes that the civil association project in the Seimas can be registered in late February or early March after discussions and corrections by the ruling coalition.
“We will see how we can move forward from then on. But we have clearly said that we would like to register that project in late February or early March and consider it in the submission stage at the beginning of the spring session, taking into account of course , the workload of the Seimas ”, said TV Raskevičius.
However, the submission stage is not the final battle at the Seimas. After that, the bill would be discussed by the committees, then the Seimas would vote two more times and the law would have to be approved by President Gitanas Nausėda. TV Raskevičius also adds that the amendments will be coordinated with the public.
There will also be a process of coordination with the citizens. Of course, there will be various suggestions, ideas, perhaps there are alternatives to some projects registered by opponents. It seems to me that the process in which the public will consider that bill will be politically interesting, ”said the Seimas member.
TV Raskevičius has no doubt that these amendments will receive different opinions from the citizens. However, in his opinion, the results of the last Seimas elections showed that the public is ready to debate association issues.
“We often manipulate in Lithuania that we are not yet mature for one thing or another. But it seems to me that the results of this election have shown that the public really wants to debate, and especially on this issue. Because the regulation of the Association in Lithuania does not cost anything, it just creates a situation where a certain group of society becomes better legally protected.It seems to me that this project creates a common good for society.
Of course, I understand that certain groups in society have different attitudes and fears, perhaps earlier, but it seems to me that it is the duty of politicians to explain both those fears and explain what will be here in a language that people can. I understand ”, said the president of the Human Rights committee.
See a threat
Seimas member Laurynas Kasčiūnas is one of the parliamentarians who criticizes the Institute of Civil Association. He was also fiercely opposed to these amendments while discussing them at the Seimas in 2017. Instead of adopting the aforementioned amendments, L. Kasčiūnas proposes to legalize the concept of coexistence.
“I am in favor of the concept of coexistence to which I have adhered and which has passed the presentation status. This, of course, is a little different from what our friends in the Freedom Party will want. This is related to inheritance, other aspects that would be addressed by that proposal, ”said L. Kasčiūnas on tv3.lt.
True, he says he cannot compare this bill with the one proposed by the Freedom Party, as he has not seen the latter yet.
“It is difficult for me to compare because I have not seen a proposal from colleagues. There are many things that can be stacked for a partner institute. When we haven’t seen it, there is nothing more to discuss. Although I am a member of the coalition, I have not seen it yet. He’s probably not a coalition partner, ”the Seimas member laughed.
However, L. Kasčiūnas has his own concerns about the legalization of the civil union.
“The first thing that I do not even doubt is that in the minds of the initiators it is only the first step towards the legalization of marriage, as evidenced by the practice of several European countries.
Second, I can’t comment on the content yet. Because I have heard various debates, even within liberals, that some are too moderate on these issues. Some for that, for example, include the possibility of adoption. The question is what to include in that concept of association. Because if certain things are included that are, in principle, equivalent to marriage, in that case, then there is a threat to the institution of marriage, “said the parliamentarian.
The Civil Code provides for the possibility of legalizing partnerships as of 2001. However, only couples of different sexes could benefit from a partnership under this regulation.
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