The French PaCs
from EURO-LETTER No. 74 Oktober 1999
(to learn more about Euro-Letter, click here)
by René Lalement
The French National Assembly passed the civil solidarity pact,
or PaCS, by 315 votes to 249, in its last and definitive reading on October 13,
1999. The law should be promulgated by the President by the end of the
year, if the Constitutional Council rules it conforms with the Constitution.
A ten year process
In 1989, the "Cour de Cassation" (the higher civil law court in
France) ruled that a homosexual couple cannot benefit the few advantages which
are given to cohabiting heterosexual couples, especially the transfer of a
tenant's lease. The first registered partnership law proposal followed in
1990. Two years later, the "Contrat d'Union Civile" (CUC) was
the aim of a new law proposal signed by eight deputies; rewritten and named
"Contrat d'Union Sociale" (CUS), it was broadly supported by the gay
and lesbian and AIDS-related organisations. The CUS was the main theme of Paris
lesbian and gay pride March in 1996, and one of the demands of next year's
Europride in Paris, the largest political demonstration of that year in France
(300,000 participants).
It was only in June 1997 that a ruling coalition had this project in its
electoral agenda, and three law proposals were registered soon after the 1997
elections. In January 1998, Catherine Tasca, president of the law committee of
National Assembly asked MPs Jean-Pierre Michel (MdC) and Patrick Bloche (PS) to
write a synthesis of previous proposals. In April, a petition against gay
marriage, signed by 15,000 mayors, was published ; it was impressive enough to
incite the government to keep the registration of the future contract away from
town halls, while it was the place proposed until then. Dissenting voices from
the homosexual movements were also heard: Aides Federation (the main AIDS
organisation in France, whose president was Arnaud Marty-Lavauzelle), and a few
local but highly visible groups demanded the opening of marriage to homosexual
couples, and branded as discriminatory the ongoing parliamentary project. Other
projects were brought to public attention, by sociologist Irène Théry (a
cohabitation statute) and by jurist Jean Hauser ("Pacte d'Intérêt Commun"),
leading to strong debates in the media.
In May 1998, the first draft of the PaCS, written by Michel and Bloche was
published. In June, Justice Minister Elisabeth Guigou gave the government's
agreement to this draft, against Thery's and Hauser's projects. Two days later,
Paris Lesbian and Gay Pride march gathered 100.000 people under the slogan
"Nous nous aimons, nous voulons le PaCS". The same day, President
Jacques Chirac (not in charge of the government, because of a contrary majority
in the Assembly) said he opposed any imitation of the marriage. After the
appointment of Michel and Bloche as "rapporteurs" and the extensive
hearings they organised, the law proposal came into discussion October 9,
1998 and was rejected because of a strong mobilisation of the opposition, and
the defection of the majority. A new law proposal had then to be prepared.
The Assembly passed this new law proposal 316-249 on December 9, in first
reading. On January 31, a demonstration gathered nearly 100,000 people against
the PaCS ; some strongly homophobic slogans were heard, such as "les pédés
au bûcher". The law proposal was then rejected by the (conservative)
Senate by a vote of 192 to 117 on March 18. However, the Senators adopted
an alternate proposal that includes in the civil code a definition of cohabiting
couples, but declined an amendment, sponsored by the Left, specifying that the
two people making a couple may be of any gender. In second reading, the Deputies
ignored the Senate proposal, restoring the Assembly proposal, but they added a
definition of cohabitation with the any gender mention on April 7. This text was
then rejected by the Senate on May 11 (with no reading), adopted by the Assembly
on June 15 and rejected again by the Senate on June 30. Only the last (and
fourth) reading by the Assembly can overwrite the Senate rejection. It occurred
on October 12 and 13, and the law was adopted by 315-249.
Contents of the law
(See also http://www.steff.suite.dk/partner.htm)
The civil solidarity pact is a contract binding two adults of different sexes or
of the same sex, in order to organise their common life ; contractors may not be
bound by another pact, by marriage, sibling or lineage. Adults under custody
cannot contract.
The contractors have to register a common declaration by the local court where
they set their common residence, if in France and by the consular authorities,
if abroad.
Partners commit to mutual and material help; modalities of this help are
specified by the common declaration. They are jointly responsible for debts due
to ordinary expenses for the household.
A pact can be dissolved by a common statement of the partners by the court (or
consulate), by the death or the marriage of one of the partners, or after a
three months delay, at the request of one of the partners.
Partners are eligible for joint taxation benefits after three years (which is
interesting only in case the incomes are not equal). But special
allocations for people having low income are suspended or reduced as soon as the
pact is signed. Also, the tax on large assets is due from the first year
on. Donations, but only after two years, and inheritance from a partner to
the other benefit a tax abatement. Life insurance capital can be paid to the
surviving partner.
The tenant's lease can be transferred to the partner if the other partner leaves
their common home or dies.
A partner who does not have a social protection (health benefits) may enjoy the
other partner's social protection.
French nationality is not required to sign a pact ; the signature of a pact must
be considered by the administration when a foreigner asks for immigration
rights, but the pact does not give these rights by itself.
Public servants (from national or local administrations) may ask another
position from their employer in order to get closer to the other partner.
Cohabitation is also defined in this law as a de facto stable and
continuousrelationship between two persons of different sexes or of the same sex
living together as a couple.
Moreover, the pact does not contain any clause regarding lineage, adoption or
custody.
Comments on the law
The law does not achieve the equality of homosexual and heterosexual couples.
Actually, heterosexual couples may cohabit, sign a pact or marry ; homosexual
couples may only cohabit or sign a pact. Rights, benefits and obligations
can be compared : minimal for cohabitation, they are larger for PaCS, and still
larger for marriage.
However, the law is in itself an equality law, because it does not contain any
discrimination against homosexual couples, for instance there is no denying of
adoption or insemination as in some other partnership laws. Such discriminations
do exist in other parts of the legislation (for marriage, adoption, etc), but
not in the PaCS.
For the first time, a law recognizes the very existence of non-married couples
and states the equivalent value of homosexual and heterosexual couples.
Moreover, it recognizes the plurality of life styles : marriage is now only an
option and no more the norm. This is both why the pact has been welcomed by the
society, definitely less attracted to marriage, and fought by the conservative
and religious movements.
The PaCS, once read as stating an equality principle in the Law, sheds a new
light on other parts of the Law and on practices which may now appear as quite
discriminatory. This side effect of the new law has already been understood by
its opponents, who even think that, with the help of European Law, adoption and
marriage will sooner or later follow from the PaCS. As the government is
preparing another law concerning family and bio ethic issues, which will be
discussed within the next year, the road is open for new
advances.
Comments on the process
Seven readings in the Parliament, 120 discussion hours, thousands of amendments
made of this law proposal one of the most debated of the last years. Although it
was expected to be a non-partisan law, with support from the progressive right
to the left (as it was the case for the abolition of the death penalty, or the
laws on contraception and abortion), the right chose to strongly oppose the law,
even if some leaders of the right were privately in favour of the pact. Never
since 1982 (for the equalisation of ages of consent) homosexuality has been said
to such extend in the Parliament. Only two MPs from the right voted for the law,
one of them being long-standing supporter Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin.
This was also an open field for homophobia : both in speeches, in street
demonstrations, and in the media. Some MPs did not hesitate to speak of register
the pact at a veterinary service or to ask for the sterilisation of homosexual
couples. MP Christine Boutin, the standard-bearer of the religious right
and the leader of the January demonstration (where demonstrators shouted that
fags should be burned), displayed a bible in the Assembly and uttered despising
words in the guise of compassion. Most people were troubled by such behaviours;
the leaders of the opposition, still very low-voiced, understood that they have
made a mistake. As a result, the very concept of homophobia is now
well-known from the media and the politicians, and now almost unanimously
rejected. A law banning homophobic speeches will probably be planned. A stronger
and more conscious acceptation of homosexuality has been obtained through one
year of public debate.
The full text of the law and more information can be found in the France QRD at
the URL http://www.France.QRD.org/texts/partnership
About Euro-Letter
The Euro-Letter is published on behalf of ILGA-Europe
- The European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association by Gay
and Lesbian International Lobby in co-operation with The Danish National
Association for Gays and Lesbians. The editors are Steffen Jensen, Ken
Thomassen, Peter Bryld, Lisbeth Andersen and Soeren Baatrup.
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