Interim Justice Minister Viliam Karas on Thursday presented proposals for legal measures aimed at making it easier for unmarried couples, including those of the same sex, to deal with various life situations.
The minister claimed that the measures are supported by both interim Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) and OLaNO leader Igor Matovic. "The proposal introduces major improvements to the effective handling of relationships, while at the same time it brings more legal certainty. In this way, we are helping both unmarried couples and same-sex couples indiscriminately," said Karas, explaining that this will be made possible by signing a fiduciary declaration at a notary.
"Anyone will be able to declare another person to be his or her confidant and make a proper declaration of that fact by means of a notarial deed," said the minister. The proposal envisages that the declaration can only be made in relation to a single individual and can be reciprocated.
Specifically, it may be an expression of intent to allow the confidant access to information on their significant other's health, to give informed consent regarding health care, or to act on other routine matters on the other's behalf. In the event of death, it should be possible for the appointed confidant to be declared administrator of inherited property as well as guardian of the children of the deceased individual.
OLANO leader Igor Matovic said, "It was about allowing everyone who feels lonely to choose someone as a confidant, anywhere in the world. That's how the proposal is designed and I think it's fair,"
Representatives of the civic-democratic platform around MP Kristian Cekovsky consider the proposal to be little ambitious, they prefer a systemic solution for regulating the relations of LGBTI+ people in Slovakia. They pointed out that the proposal can be significantly revised before its final adoption. "If the proposal made it to parliament, at least in its current version, the civic-democratic platform will support it in the first reading. Before the second reading, it'll present an amending proposal that will include real rights equalising LGBTI+ people with the majority," they added.
The non-parliamentary Christian Democrats (KDH) perceive the legislative draft as a good springboard that takes into account demands raised by the LGBTI+ community, TASR was told by party spokesperson Lenka Halamova on Thursday. "The minister called it a basic framework for which he has received a mandate and into which additional life situations could be added in case the need arises," noted KDH. The party warned that the response from the progressive-liberal part of the political spectrum doesn't create room for constructive discussion. (TASR)
