The Kosovo government has included in its legislative agenda from mid-November until the end of the year three draft laws, including amendments to the Civil Code and a law on reproductive health and medically assisted reproduction. During a parliamentary session, Prime Minister Albin Kurti argued with Eman Rrahmani, an MP from the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo, who opposed certain provisions of these initiatives.
As Balkan Insight reports, Rrahmani accused the government of neglecting traditional family values. He said that two provisions of the Civil Code draft, in his view, undermine the family and promised to seek their removal.
Dispute over the Civil Code
Kurti replied that Kosovo needs a comprehensive civil law reform that will provide greater legal certainty in matters of property, family relations and inheritance. According to him, legal ambiguities may leave citizens uncertain about their right to use property, inherit it or sell it.
The prime minister called on MPs to assess the document as a whole rather than focus on individual articles. He noted that the Civil Code has 997 pages and 1,630 articles. A working group at the Ministry of Justice is to discuss the issue next week.
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The Civil Code draft has not been finally adopted since 2022 because of disputes over provisions that provide for the possibility of adopting a separate law on civil unions between people of the same sex. Kosovo’s current legislation does not permit same-sex marriage. At the same time, the constitution recognizes the right of everyone to marry and establish a family based on free consent and in accordance with the law.
IVF bill
Consideration of the draft law on reproductive health and medically assisted reproduction has also been delayed. The government submitted it in January 2023, and parliament approved the document at first reading in October. Attempts to hold a second reading in 2024 were unsuccessful.
The draft provides women with access to in vitro fertilization regardless of marital status and whether they are in same-sex or heterosexual relationships. It also proposes introducing IVF services and a public bank of reproductive cells. Currently, women who need such procedures turn to private clinics or travel abroad.
Kurti said that the state should treat the desire to become parents with understanding and respect, and that difficulties related to parenthood require a careful response from state institutions.
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