If passed into law, the bills – unveiled on Friday – would allow both same-sex and opposite-sex couples to form legally recognized civil partnerships.

Poland’s Minister for Equality, Katarzyna Kotula, said in a social media post: “It’s official! The draft laws on registered partnerships, which were discussed with non-governmental organizations, have been sent for public and inter-ministerial consultations.

“This is a very important day for me, because I am handing over to you the result of many months of work from our entire team,” she added.

Civil partnerships would, among other things, allow couples to have joint ownership of property and shared assets.

The bills do not, however, allow for a member of a same-sex couple to legally adopt the child of their partner, with Kotula saying that compromises had to be made during the drafting process.

Instead, the draft legislation says that: “A person in a civil partnership is entitled to participate in the ongoing care of a child residing together with them, who remains under the parental authority of the other person in the partnership…unless either of the parents exercising parental authority over the child objects to this.”

In her social media post, Kotula also said: “We are continuing a legislative process that has not yet taken place in Poland and that we hope will result in the introduction of a new institution into Polish law.