Chair of the interdepartmental work group, Sead Lisak, said the first session will take place in April, Balkan Insight reports. Particularly aimed at the Bosniak-Croat, semi-autonomous Federation, they will be engaging with civil society organizations that deal with issues related to same-sex couples.
The small step to regulate these rights is in response to the increasing amount of Bosnian gay couples entering into registered partnerships abroad. The government received the request from the Federation's Interior Ministry. In the other entity (the mainly Serb Republika Srpska) no similar effort has been made.
So far, both entities in Bosnia are relatively far behind other European countries in terms of LGBT+ rights. Registered partnerships for same-sex couples are not legally recognized (which means gay marriage is even further in sight). During various LGBT+ events in the country, participants run a significant risk of being exposed to abuse and violence. Sarajevo held a Pride event for the first time last September, which went relatively peaceful thanks to security. Until then, Sarajevo was the last European capital without a Pride event.