Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) wants to enable and promote elective affinities beyond marriage with a new “community of responsibility”.

"People want to take responsibility for each other," said Buschmann of the "world".

The legal model planned by the traffic light coalition should come at the end of 2023 at the earliest.

"The legislative process is not expected to be completed before the middle of the legislature," a Justice Department spokesman told the newspaper.

Before that, a lot of coordination between the departments involved would be necessary.

A key issues paper presented by the FDP parliamentary group in 2020 should therefore serve as a guide.

Register at the registry office

According to this paper, a “community of responsibility” can be closed and dissolved by two or more adults unbureaucratically by registering at the registry office, reports the “Welt”.

The basic requirement is therefore only an “actual personal closeness”.

The design of rights and obligations should take place in stages.

The spectrum ranges from mutual information and representation rights to care and maintenance services.

Whether, under what circumstances and to what extent financial benefits can be claimed must still be clarified, like all other substantive questions, the Ministry of Justice emphasized to the “Welt”.

"Don't take anything away from anyone"

The future viability of the marriage is not in doubt, said Buschmann, who is married himself.

But marriage does not fit every life plan.

"Even in the context of friendships and flat-sharing communities, people bear responsibility for each other that they want to see legally protected."

A liberal legal system must do justice to this wish and “provide legal institutions that people can use to implement their ideas of a good life together.” Buschmann explained: “This new legal institution will not take anything away from anyone.

But it will make everyday life easier for many people.

"It's about taking into account the diversity of life plans."

CSU politicians against "small marriage"

Protest against the plans came from the Union.

She considers the project to be ideologically motivated, constitutionally problematic and ultimately superfluous, said the deputy parliamentary group leader Andrea Lindholz (CSU).

"The traffic light thus weakens the institution of marriage, which is particularly protected by our Basic Law, by opening up a kind of 'small marriage' with less binding effect for the partner," she told the "Welt".

"The traffic light opens the floodgates to arbitrariness."

Today, anyone who wants to take on permanent responsibility for one another can do so by getting married, regardless of gender.

"If the ties of marriage are too far-reaching, confidants can already grant certain contractual special positions outside of couple relationships, for example medical powers of attorney or powers of attorney for banking transactions." Deputy CSU leader Dorothee Bär also said that she saw no need.