Polish President Blocks Bills That Would Have Expanded Same-Sex Partner Rights

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has used his veto power to block two bills that aimed to establish a legal framework for cohabiting couples, including same-sex partners.

The proposed legislation would have introduced so-called cohabitation agreements, granting partners a range of rights that are currently available mainly to married couples in Poland. These include joint property management, access to a partner's health information, simplified inheritance procedures, and the right to make decisions about a partner's burial.

The president argued that such changes contradict the Polish constitution's definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government sharply criticized the decision, stating that it denies basic rights to approximately two million people living in unregistered partnerships. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ organizations emphasized that Poland remains one of the few European Union countries where same-sex couples have no legal recognition for their partnerships.