Brussels, 03/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - After more than five years of discussions, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU on Thursday 3 December took note of the failure of the member states to reach a unanimous agreement on proposals regarding matrimonial regimes and the property consequences of civil partnerships.
Poland and Hungary, which do not recognise same-sex marriage, effectively vetoed the proposals and scuppered all the efforts of the Luxembourg Presidency. “All of the member states, with the exception of Poland and Hungary, could get behind the texts”, said Félix Braz, Luxembourg minister for justice, describing the breakdown of the talks as “much to be regretted”.
The European Commissioner for Justice, Vera Jourova, said that enhanced cooperation was now the way forward on this dossier. She observed that the absence of an agreement on these proposals would penalise the citizens of these two countries and, in particular, the “300,000 Hungarians living abroad”.
The two proposed regulations cover the competence, applicable law, recognition, execution of decisions regarding matrimonial regimes and decisions regarding the property consequences of civil partnerships.
These texts, Braz and Jourova went on to stress, do not affect the institutions of marriage and partnership as laid down in national law. None of their provisions obliges any state to change its rules and bring in civil partnerships, the Presidency of the Council stressed. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)