Cohabitation contracts jumped 28.5 pct in 2021
Cohabitation agreements, which grant couples living together similar rights to those who are married, gained ground in 2021, with the country’s statistics agency ELSTAT reporting an increase of 28.5 percent last year compared to 2020.
A total of 11,550 such civil contracts were signed in 2021, versus 8,986 in 2020, the data show. “The financial situation undoubtedly plays a role, as the cost for an agreement ranges from 100 to 150 euros,” says Katerina Trichia, a notary in Athens. “In the past, it was mainly couples who came, who were expecting a child and thus wanted to simplify the procedures,” she recalls. “Then they mentioned that in the following year they would have a wedding and a baptism together.” Now, an increasing number of couples say they don’t plan to marry, she adds.
Out of the 11,550 cohabitation agreements last year, 314 concerned same-sex couples.
The emergency measures put in place in 2020 due to the pandemic also shot up the number of weddings in 2021, which had been postponed. ELSTAT said 40,759 marriages took place, posting an increase of 29.5% from 2020.
The majority of those (22,272) were civil ceremonies versus 18,487 religious. this change is certainly not only related to the economic difficulties, but also to the change in morals.
