The Monegasque Government has announced plans to introduce civil unions for same-sex couples and reform family law, alongside proposals to strengthen legal recognition for children in same-sex families, marking one of the Principality’s most significant social policy announcements in recent years.
The measures were revealed by Minister of State Christophe Mirmand during a National Council debate on legislation to modernise survivor’s pensions in the public sector. While the bill itself removes a longstanding difference in treatment between widows and widowers, Mirmand used the occasion to outline broader reforms the Government intends to bring before parliament by the end of 2026.
The proposed legislation would create a civil union exclusively for same-sex couples, providing rights and obligations broadly equivalent to marriage while maintaining Monaco’s current legal definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Government also plans to recognise same-sex marriages legally performed abroad by automatically converting them into civil unions under Monegasque law.
Alongside the new legal status, ministers are examining changes to establish clearer parental rights for children raised by same-sex couples. Under the proposals, a non-biological parent could acquire legal parenthood through voluntary recognition or, where appropriate, through an expanded system of simple adoption regardless of whether the couple is married, in a civil union, living under a civil partnership agreement or cohabiting.
Mirmand said the reforms were designed to reflect modern family life while ensuring Monaco complies with its international obligations, particularly those arising from the Council of Europe and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
The announcements came as the National Council considered Bill No. 1.120, which abolishes the rule requiring widowers in the public sector to wait until the age of 65 before receiving a survivor’s pension unless they are unable to work because of illness or disability. Widows already receive the pension immediately following the death of a spouse.
The Government said the distinction reflected outdated assumptions dating back to the early 1980s, when women were less likely to participate fully in the workforce. Ministers argued that the law no longer reflected today’s social and economic realities, where both spouses commonly contribute to household income.
A companion bill covering private sector workers was also presented by Government Minister for Social Affairs and Health Christophe Robino. He described the reform as another step towards equal treatment, saying the previous rules were based on historical social models that no longer matched contemporary society.
Both ministers praised the cooperation between the Government and the National Council during the drafting of the legislation, with amendments strengthening transitional arrangements for new beneficiaries receiving Government backing.
Beyond pension reform, Mirmand acknowledged that extending survivor’s pension rights to couples in civil partnerships would require wider changes to Monaco’s social legislation rather than amendments limited to pension law. He said the Government was therefore preparing a broader package of reforms covering equality, family law and parental rights.
The Government intends to present the proposed legislation to the National Council before the end of the year.
If approved, the pension reforms would eliminate gender-based differences in entitlement, extend equal protection to surviving spouses in both the public and private sectors, and represent another stage in the Principality’s ongoing modernisation of its social welfare system.
