Tired of Broken Promises, Activists Await Govt Action on Same-Sex Law

LGBT activists in Serbia have welcomed an announcement that the government will submit to parliament a draft law on same-sex partnerships before the year is out, but remain cautious after previous promises of new legislation were broken.

Speaking on Prva Television on Monday, Serbia's newly-appointed minister of human rights and social dialogue, Gordana Comic, said her ministry has a one-year plan to adopt "all missing laws, strategies and actions plans".

Comic said a draft law on same-sex partnerships and another on gender equality should come before MPs by the end of the year.

Stefan Sparavalo, media and public relations coordinator at the NGO Da se zna! (Let it be known!), welcomed the announcement, but urged caution.

"So far, the legal regulation of same-sex partnerships has been announced so many times and no concrete steps have been taken," Sparavalo told BIRN. "This kind of promise seems a bit more optimistic because it comes from a person who has been an ally of marginalised groups for years as an MP and politician."

LGBT activist Goran Miletic, an organiser of Belgrade Pride, said the announcement should be followed by the actual drafting of the law and its adoption by the government and parliament, dominated by the conservative Progressive Party, SNS.

"Since we now do not have a government that depends on several parties, the political will for this simple process depends exclusively on the SNS," Miletic told BIRN.

"This law has been written and talked about for a very long time, and the model of the law itself has existed for a long time," he said. "After 15 years of some kind of 'public debate' in the media, it seems clear to most that the law serves to enable some citizens a decent life, and the state...