Civil Unions bill to be presented to parliament in September

The law that will regulate civil unions, the Civil Unions Act, will be presented in the House of Representatives in September, civil liberties minister Helena Dalli has announced.

Dalli said today that the draft bill entered its final stages with a view to be presented to MPs after parliament reconvenes after its summer recess.

In an overview of her ministry's work, Dalli said that overcoming discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation was proving to be challenging. "We are organising several activities in secondary schools to remove stereotypes associated with lesbian, gay, bi- and trans people. Society must start to ask itself, 'why am I discriminating against these persons."

Dalli also said she welcomed a private members' bill from the Opposition on gender discrimination, adding that she had asked the Commissioner for Laws to analyse the Constitution as regards to possible elements found in the law that discriminate against gender.

Dalli added that her ministry would also prioritise the separation between Church and state, referring to negotiations expected to take place since a visit by the Prime Minister to the Vatican where Joseph Muscat met Pope Francis. Muscat wants to see the supremacy of the ecclesiastical tribunals over marital annulments, removed and will seek to renegotiate the Church-State agreement governing the tribunals.

"In a contemporary society, church-state separation is very important and both parties are recognising this in mutual respect," Dalli said.