The Parliament in Montenegro voted on Wednesday by 42 votes to five in favour of the introduction of registered civil partnerships. This makes the small country the first non-EU country in Eastern Europe to allow gays and lesbians this legal recognition.

It is not marriage, but almost: same-sex relationships registered as civil partnerships will henceforth be equal to heterosexual marriages in all rights in the Balkan state of Montenegro, except for adoption rights. President Milo Djukanovic described the decision as one step closer to the most developed democracies in the world.

Queer activists of the country welcomed the decision, but also cautiously pointed out that full equality will not be achieved as long as rainbow families are still discriminated against and not recognised as a family. The Queer Montenegro Association stated in a press release

“As of today, we are one step closer to full freedom and equality. Like never before we are close to a dignified life – and as of today we are no longer second-class citizens”.

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Of course there were also votes against and protests. The opposition party Democratic Front, socially conservative and close to Russia, claimed that most of the country’s inhabitants were against same-sex partnerships. The politicians accused the government of carelessly abandoning traditional Montenegrin values. One of the leaders of the DF, Nebojsa Medojevic, complained:

“The main goal of this law is to introduce a new system of values. After all they have taken away from us now, they now want our families ”

The decision may come as a surprise, as Montenegro is still conservative and patriarchal at its core and the queer community in the country does not have an easy standing. However, the society has opened up in recent years, which is mainly due to the government’s efforts to push ahead with the EU integration process. An important point in the accession negotiations: minority rights.

Since 1977, homosexuality has been legal in the small Balkan state with only about 600,000 citizens, and in 2010 extensive anti-discrimination laws were introduced not only for sexual orientation but also for gender identity. Crimes committed for anti-gay motives have been covered by the Hate Crime Law since 2014. Montenegro has now become the first European country outside Western Europe and the EU to legally recognise same-sex partnerships.

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