New family model from 2025
Buschmann plans a community of responsibility
February 4, 2024, 1:05 a.m
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Justice Minister Buschmann presents key points for a new family model: From 2025, the notary should be able to register a community of responsibility for single parents or single older people who live together. But it is not an “easy marriage,” emphasizes the FDP politician.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann wants to provide legal protection from next year for people who take long-term responsibility for each other but do not want to get married. As part of a community of responsibility, single people should be able to support each other better in everyday life. “We have more and more single parents, we have more and more single older people: I believe there is a need for a community of responsibility,” the FDP politician told the Funke newspapers. The key points for the law are now available, “the law could come into force next year,” said Buschmann.
Specifically, the new family law model is aimed at communities of two to six people who, for example, live together and want to help each other in an emergency. “With the notarized community of responsibility, you can create a legally secure basis,” Buschmann told the newspapers. “That makes a lot of things easier – for example when it comes to the right to information from doctors or other representation issues.”
As a concrete example, Buschmann cited two single older women who live together in a shared apartment. “They’re not a couple, they don’t want to get married.” Those who enter into a community of responsibility give a social relationship a structure and a positive name, says Buschmann. “I think that’s attractive – especially for people who actually prefer not to deal with sensitive issues such as representation in the event of illness or need for care.”
Building blocks can be combined to form individual models
However, the community of responsibility is not a “marriage light,” explained the minister. It will have no impact on the parent-child relationship, there will be no tax relief, nor will there be any consequences under inheritance law or maintenance obligations. However, anyone who wanted could regulate the equalization of assets after the end of a community of responsibility.
The key points now available provide different contractual building blocks for the community of responsibility, which can be put together to form individual models. In any case, the community of responsibility must be notarized.