Italian 'partnerships' not so 'civil'

On Thursday 19 December 2013,  15 MPs of the Democratic Party and 1 Civic Choice MP (Mario Monti's party) of the Italian Senate introduced the Civil Union and Cohabitation agreement (Civil Code regulation) bill. The Italian Senate is expected to consider the bill in January.

Most of marriage rights and obligations will be afforded to gay and lesbian couples who formalize their union before a state official.

In each comune (municipality, the plural forms is comuni) will be established the National Register of Civil Unions (Registro Nazionale delle Unione Civili) where gay and lesbian couples have the opportunity to formalize their union before the Registrar of the Civil Status (the state official). At least two witnesses must attend before the registration of the union in the National Register. When a couple writes down their names in the register the partners should decide the matrimonial regime.

Here a list of Civil Union rights and obligations:
Rights
(a) the right to choose a family name.
(b) survivor's pension
(c) health care rights
(d) inheritance rights
Obligations
(a) moral and material assistance.
(b) cooperation for the cohabitation.
(c) both the partners are responsible, each one in relation to their means and ability of professional or homemade work, to contribute to the needs of the cohabitation.

The bill provides the possibility to adopt the partner's child even if he or she is born thanks to a IVF process.

Couples who contracted a marriage or a civil union (or any other equivalent) abroad will be recognized as civil union partners.

If a same-sex couple do not want to register their union as a civil union or a opposite-sex couple do not want to marry they can contract a Cohabitation agreement before a state official. These couples who prefer this agreement will be registered in the National Register of Cohabitation agreements.