The bill allows two people, regardless of gender, to sign a cohabitation contract at a notary’s office. It covers housing rights, partner support, access to medical information, care leave, health insurance, and tax benefits, but does not legalise marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who took office in 2023 promising to roll back the conservative policies of his predecessors, faces resistance within his coalition and potential vetoes from President Karol Nawrocki, who is allied with the nationalist PiS party.

Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula said the bill was deliberately limited. “We are taking a compromise to parliament which we believe has a majority in both the lower and upper houses,” she said after a cabinet meeting.

LGBTI+ organisations have reacted with mixed feelings, calling the proposal limited but possibly the only realistic step in the current political climate.

The Polish group Campaign Against Homophobia said: “This is not a moment of triumph. After two years of the Tusk government, there is finally a joint proposal, but it is not the law we have been fighting for. It is a minimal form of protection, but perhaps the only feasible one.”