With the amendment of the Family Code, Slovenia has legalised marriage for same-sex couples within its territory. The amendment also allows same-sex couples to adopt children. On Tuesday, the deputies of the National Assembly endorsed the amendments to the Family Code, which follow decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia. The amendments comply with the Constitutional Court decision published in July. With the Constitutional Court decision and the adoption of the proposed amendments, Slovenia has finally joined the number of countries in Europe and elsewhere that have already made the status of heterosexual and same-sex couples equal. In the EU, 13 Member States have regulated the joint adoption of children by same-sex couples, namely Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

The adopted amendments to the Family Code in compliance with the Constitutional Court decisions represent a rectification of a history of systematic violations of human rights. At the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, we are convinced that recognition of the rights of same-sex partners is a shift towards a more equal and tolerant society.

The first tangible results of the measures taken by the Government to mitigate the soaring cost of living are already visible. The timely and decisive measures taken by the Government of Prime Minister Robert Golob have cushioned inflation growth by 2.3% percentage points. The main contributing factors have been the Government’s measures to regulate electricity and gas prices, to regulate oil product prices, and to reduce VAT on certain energy products.