Polish President blocks cohabitation rights for same-sex couples

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has vetoed two bills that would have granted basic legal protections to couples living together, including same-sex partners, dealing a setback to LGBTQ+ rights in one of the European Union’s least protective jurisdictions for queer people.

The legislation, backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing coalition, introduced “cohabitation contracts” and a new “status of the closest person in a relationship.” These measures covered joint property arrangements, access to medical information, and decisions related to burial, offering minimum legal security to partners currently left outside family law.

Support for the bills extended across the coalition, including the agrarian-conservative PSL party, which had rejected earlier drafts over concerns related to the definition of marriage. The final version was presented as a narrow, pragmatic framework giving couples limited rights, without amending constitutional language on marriage, Reuters reports.

President Nawrocki, closely aligned with the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) opposition, argued the reforms created an institution too similar to marriage. In a recorded statement, he said the proposals introduced “a new, formalised institution of family law, equipped with a broad catalogue of rights similar to those of marriage,” and claimed that accepting them would weaken what he called the “special status of marriage” defined in Article 18 of the constitution as a union between a man and a woman.

Prime Minister Tusk condemned the decision. Writing on X, he described the veto as an expression of contempt toward people seeking happiness and a stable, ordinary life with their partners.

Overriding the veto would require a three-fifths majority in parliament with at least half of lawmakers participating. The current balance of power and resistance from nationalist parties leave the government far short of that threshold.

Katarzyna Kotula, the minister responsible for equality policy, said the president had “turned his back on two million people living today in informal relationships,” including many same-sex couples. She pointed to a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union that obliges Poland to recognize same-sex marriages registered abroad, and indicated that the government will now focus on securing every possible benefit and right available to those couples under EU law.

The Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH), a leading Polish LGBTQ+ organization, noted that the vetoed bills represented only a small portion of an initial proposal on civil partnerships. According to KPH, even this minimal package of rights proved unacceptable to the president, illustrating the depth of institutional resistance to legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

With formal protections delayed once again, many LGBTQ+ people in Poland continue to rely on community support and international connections. For those who wish to stay engaged, build inclusive careers, and connect with equality-minded employers and allies, signing up for myGwork offers a practical way to strengthen networks and sustain advocacy beyond the political arena.

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