Poland and Hungary block EU proposal

The Polish and Hungarian governments blocked the adoption of a 2011 proposal on property rights of married and registered couples by the European Commission at the Justice and Home Affairs Council. The proposal regulates various matters related to marriage, such as inheritance, for instance. The Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, argued that the proposal interferes with the Polish Constitution since it embraces civil contracts which allow for homosexual civil partnerships in most Western countries, but not in Poland.  The minister asked the EU to opt-out of respecting same-sex civil contracts, but the Union refused. While the unanimity of EU member states required for this proposal did not materialize, a number of EU member states said they will continue looking for a solution to this matter using a framework of enhanced cooperation.