ROME, October 19 (RIA Novosti) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Sunday that the government will submit a draft bill to the Senate on same-sex unions, based on the principles of the German law on civil marriages, within the next three months.
"The German law grants same-sex couples the civil rights [to register the union]. Immediately after the reforms of the electoral laws are passed, which will take place until the end of the year, latest January [2015], the draft [on same-sex unions] will be submitted to the Senate", Renzi said on the Italian Canale5, adding that the draft bill on same-sex unions is now ready.
"We need serious laws as there are those, who want equal rights to marriage [as traditional unions], and those, who says that the law should not be altered. I understand the different opinions, but on this subject let's avoid another ideological dispute. The German law is a reasonable model ,” Renzi said.
The prime minister’s statement was made following Interior minister Angelino Alfano’s order to mayors to stop registering same-sex marriages performed outside the country in Italy’s city halls.
In a particular incident, which occurred on Saturday, the mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino, registered 16 same-sex marriages performed abroad.
According to the Italian Interior Minister, these registrations contradict the current legislation of the country and should therefore be annulled.
The German law on the registration of civil unions, which came into force on August 1, 2001, permits two same-sex adults to register their civil union. Currently, this is the only present law in Germany for legally registering same-sex families.
