The island nation of Malta is set to be the next place to introduce gay civil unions and a bill is likely to be passed next week.

The legislation is speeding through the Parliament of Malta in Valletta and will give gay and lesbian couples same-sex marriage in all but name.

Meanwhile both parliamentary parties in the Mediterranean nation are backing a constitutional change to protect lesbian, gay and bisexual people from discrimination. And the government has said transgender protection should be folded into the same constitutional amendment.

Malta is keen to change its image after being ranked the seventh worst country in EU for discrimination based on sexual orientation and the eighth for gay workplace discrimination.

The Civil Unions Bill was presented by the Labour government last week and had its second reading last night.

The Christian democrat Nationalist Party (Partit Nazzjonalista, PN) has backed the legislation too but wants to make amendments.

But Labour Party (Partit Laburista, LP) Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has accused his PN opponents of just wanting to water down gay and lesbian couples’ rights.

His government made the bill’s introduction a major pledge of its election victory.

GSN sources in Malta says LP seems determined to push the legislation through in a form which makes it as closely equal to heterosexual marriage as possible.

Muscat said: ‘It would have been easier for the PL to steer clear of the subject but our principles will not be compromised.’

LP, with 39 seats in the one-chamber parliament has a nine-seat majority over its PN opponents.

But the opposition PN leader, Simon Busuttil also had a supportive message for the legislation in parliament yesterday, calling their backing a ‘positive step forward’ for the party.

His party debated the issue internally for six hours on Monday (21 October) before deciding to vote for civil unions.

He said: ‘I am proud with the PN’s position. It sends a clear message that our door is wide open for the gay community. It shows an important step forward which the PN has taken, a position which may be different from the one held in the past.’

He argued: ‘The amendments will not create any obstacles but delineate the difference between the two laws [civil unions and civil heterosexual marriage].’

The details of these amendments are still not known and will be presented during committee stage.

Addressing yesterday’s second reading debate, Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli said civil unions are not about gay rights but human rights, reports the Malta Independent.

She said: ‘We believe that everyone is born equal. We want to live in a country without discrimination, a state that does not distinguish between one person and another. But we need to work hard to get there, we need to change the public attitude towards the matter.’

Dalli also said the government wanted to recognize both parents in a same-sex family and suggested adoption rules could be reviewed by the country’s adoption boards.

While similar bills in other countries have taken months to pass, the Maltese Civil Unions Bill is likely to speed through committee stage at the start of next week and then pass the final vote by the end of October.

Meanwhile plans originating with the opposition PN would change the constitution to protect people from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The government is suggesting gender identity should be added to this so transgender people also get constitutional protection.

This is likely to take a few months to pass, and may be added to a package of other reforms. But with agreement from both parliamentary parties, the change seems guaranteed.

Research has shown many LGBT people stay in the closet in Malta and said they have faced harassment. Parliamentarians are also concerned about gay and trans youth suicide.

Malta, Gozo and Comino are popular tourist destinations and the law changes are likely to boost LGBT tourism to the islands, famous for their sun-kissed beaches, culture and history.