Cohabitation

A Justice Ministry bill that was put up for public consultation on Wednesday stipulates that same-sex couples entering cohabitation agreements should have the same rights as married couples but bars them from marriage and common adoption.

In 2013, a majority (51.2%) of women in the European Union (EU) gave birth to their first child when aged in their 20s, while 40.6% became mothers in their 30s. In addition, more than 127,000 births of first children in the EU in 2013 were to women aged less than 20 (teenage mothers) and around 65,500 to women aged 40 and over.

The Justice Ministry is drafting a law that will allow same-sex couples to enter into a cohabitation agreement that will grant parties the same rights afforded to heterosexual couples joined by contract, Kathimerini understands.

World Marriage Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of February. The day commemorates husbands and wives as the foundation of the family and the basic unit of society and takes place a week before Valentine's Day this year.

Cohabitation agreements are increasingly gaining ground in Greece since the introduction of the relevant legislation, data compiled by the Interior Ministry from the country?s registry offices has shown.

The candidate of the Christian Liberal Alliance (ACL) in this week's presidential election, Klaus Iohannis, has stated, on Thursday, at private broadcaster Digi 24, that he will have, as president, a fair institutional collaboration with Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

Pope Francis on Oct. 5 launched a major review of Catholic teaching on the family that could lead to change in the Church's attitude to marriage, cohabitation and divorce.

Turkey is about to set sail in uncharted waters. Starting from Aug. 29, we are going to have a directly elected president. That is the date for the transfer of office, right after the second round of elections on Aug. 24. We will have to learn how to deal with a constitutionally strong prime minister and a directly elected president.