Same-sex relationships in private international law

APSTRAKT: Istopolne zajednice života se u uporednom pravu pojavljuju u obliku istopolnog braka, registrovanog partnerstva i tzv. de facto istopolne zajednice. Polazeći od toga da ove vrste zajednica života nisu dopuštene u srpskom pravnom sistemu, a da u inostranstvu one realno postoje, s obzirom da se punovažno zaključuju i proizvode pravne posledice, naša istraživanja su usmerena na međunarodnoprivatnopravne aspekte takvih zajednica u srpskom pravnom poretku. Istopolne zajednice života su analizirane kroz prizmu ličnih i imovinskih dejstava (uključujući i izdržavanje), naslednopravnih dejstava i pitanja usvojenja vezanih za istopolne partnere, kao i pitanja njihovog prestanka. Cilj ovako sveobuhvatnog pristupa je da se ispitaju, odnosno utvrde načini postupanja domaćih organa pri odlučivanju o pitanjima koji proizilaze iz istopolnih zajednica života sa elementom inostranosti. Istraživanje je primarno usmereno na dva osnovna problema međunarodnog privatnog prava - zasnivanje međunarodne nadležnosti i način određivanja merodavnog prava za sporove proistekle iz ovakvih zajednica. Rezultati sprovedene analize jasno ukazuju da određene kolizione norme Zakona o rešavanju sukoba zakona sa propisima drugih zemalja nisu prikladne za rešavanje brojnih pravnih pitanja proisteklih iz inostranih istopolnih zajednica života, čime je nametnuta potreba da se kreiraju nove kolizione norme, radi popunjavanja pravnih praznina u okviru postojećeg zakonskog okvira. Takođe, sprovedeno istraživanje pokazuje da istopolne zajednice života zaključene u inostranstvu ne mogu biti upisane u domaće matične knjige, ali da njihovo postojanje (status) može biti „uvaženo“ u domaćem pravnom sistemu.ABSTRACT: Same-sex relationships (unions) appear in comparative law as a form of same-sex marriage, registered partnership and so called de facto same-sex unions. Starting from the fact that these types of unions are not allowed in the Serbian legal system, and that they really exist abroad, given that they are validly concluded and produce legal consequences, our research is focused on private international law aspects of such communities in the Serbian legal system. Same-sex unions were analysed through items of personal and property effects (including maintenance), inheritance and those of adoption related to same-sex couples as well as the issues of their termination. The aim of such comprehensive approach was to examine i.e. to determine methods of acting for domestic authorities when they have to decide about claims arising from samesex unions with foreign elements. Primarily, research was directed to two main problems of private international law – establishment of international jurisdiction and determination of applicable law for disputes arising from such unions. The results of the conducted analysis clearly show that some conflict of law rules of the Law on resolving conflict of laws with regulations of other countries are not adequate for solving numerous legal questions, arose from same-sex unions with foreign elements and their effects, which imposes a need to create new conflict of laws rules in order to fill the legal gaps within the current legal framework. Also, the conducted research shows that same-sex unions, concluded abroad, cannot be recorded into domestic registers, but their existing (foreign status) can be “appreciated” in domestic legal system