Matthew Xuereb
Cohabitation law by year's end
The government planned to enact a law on cohabitation, which has been long in coming, by the end of the year, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.
He said the government wanted to have such legislation to ensure accountability and responsibility rather than simply to grant rights. The law would define the responsibilities of cohabiting partners and seek to eliminate abuse.
Pledges for a law governing cohabitation have featured in the Nationalist Party's electoral programmes since 1998 and the party has often been criticised for dragging its feet over the issue.
"We are determined to legislate. More than to give new rights, the law will impose responsibilities on people who cohabit," Dr Gonzi said at a business breakfast yesterday when asked about the subject.
Parliament's Social Affairs Committee is receiving suggestions on the issue. Committee chairman Edwin Vassallo said the public consultation exercise on legal provisions to regulate cohabitation was being carried out independently of the possible introduction of any other law, such as divorce.
Mr Vassallo said the committee was on a fact-finding mission to see what the people really required and what had to be covered by the legislation regulating cohabitation.
"We are conducting this exercise with a very open mind and we are not excluding anyone. We want to listen to feedback from everyone, including cohabiting sisters, couples of the same sex and separated people. Our doors are open," he said.
The committee last year made a public appeal for proposals on what cohabitation law should provide for but feedback had been "very poor", with only a handful commenting.
Proposals made included the setting up of a central office to register partners cohabiting in the same residence.
The registration would be known as civil union.
It was also suggested that registered people would enjoy the same status as married couples for certain purposes, such as tax, and that people who cohabit would not be considered as living separately.
Moreover, cohabiting couples would be given the right to inherit their partners. In this way, estranged wives or husbands would not be entitled to the inheritance years after separation.
It was suggested that cohabiting partners should be eligible to a widow/er's pension once either of them passed away. Widow/ers of separated spouses would no longer have the right to such a pension once the estranged wife or husband forms a registered civil union.
Mr Vassallo said the committee would receive suggestions till the end of this month. He hoped to be in a position to draw up a draft report on cohabitation by the time Parliament rises for the summer recess.
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Jon Shaw
May 14th 2010, 16:51
''Proposals made included the setting up of a central office to register partners cohabiting in the same residence.'' Simply ridiculous, it's like we are regressing and still living in the 40's. Why not also create dog tags and make cohabiting partners wear these. The governement should scrap this idea and legalise divorce. Rest assured that no one cohabits or goes through a divorce to be able to benefit of certain 'rights'. The goverment should at this stage just focus on one fundamental right, that is, to recognise that some people might want or need to dissolve their legal marriage contract by means of a divorce and allow them to remarry civilly should they deem appropiate and necessary. This is the 'accountability and responsability' that the government has in today's social scenario. Nothing to do with politics and nothing to do against the church or religion. It's purely a social and legal right that is currently not available in 2 countries worldwide - Phillipines and Malta.
c. camilleri
May 14th 2010, 16:03
Instead of taking all this trouble, why don't we just introduce divorce? This is just an informal way of divorce.which can only lead to a lot of abuses What is the difference of a cohabitating couple and remarried couple after their obtaining divorce..
Dr Ing Patrick Attard
May 14th 2010, 15:17
Suggestions on the rights of Gay / Lesbian Couples:
- Hospital visitation rights in case of accident or serious illness of the partner.
- The right to take a medical decision in case your partner is unable to do so.
- The right to take urgent family leave from work to take care of your sick partner
- The right to organise the funeral in case of death of your partner
- The right to take bereavement leave from work to mourn your partner.
- The right to live and work in Malta for partners who don't have an EU nationality
Kate Bonello Sullivan
May 14th 2010, 14:49
The Malta Confederation of Women's Organisations is holding a Seminar to discuss this very issue - the cohabitation rights in the context of Government declared intention to introduce legislation to regulate such partnerships. The Public is welcome to participate at this public dialogue to be held at Europa House, 254 St. Paul's St. Valletta, Thursday 20th May at 5.45, registration 5.30. Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott, Dr. Lorraine Orland Schembri and Dr. Yana Micallef Stafrace will be keynote speakers. Questions such as the following will be under discussion. Is the aim of this Civil Union to have legal consequences with all the same entitlements as with a ‘Christian Marriage’? Is registering a Civil Union the avoidance of government to the introduction of divorce? Come to the event join the discussion.