Kosovo parliament debates civil code overhaul amid clash over family values

In a heated parliamentary meeting on September 28, Prime Minister Albin Kurti faced opposition MP Eman Rrahmani over a suite of reforms to Kosovo's Civil Code and a reproductive health bill. Kurti emphasized the need for a thorough overhaul to resolve legal uncertainties in property, family relations, and inheritance, noting the code spans 997 pages and 1,630 articles. Rrahmani criticized specific paragraphs that, in his view, threaten traditional family structures, pledging to send them back if passed.

The government aims to introduce three bills covering civil unions, IVF access, and a public reproductive cell bank between mid-November and the end of the year. A Ministry of Justice working group is scheduled to convene next week to examine the proposals, while the reproductive health draft would permit IVF for all women, including those in same-sex relationships, a change from current practice that forces patients to seek private or foreign clinics.