Civil unions for same sex couples will be introduced by the end of the year, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this afternoon after he was presented with the Soldier Award as an "agent of change".

The award was presented by the social group Gay Exiles, which represents Maltese who had to leave their families to live in foreign countries with their loved ones, who happened to be of the same sex.

The presentation took place at Castille during a meeting the Prime Minister had with the LGBT community on the occasion of Pride Week 2013.

Dr Muscat said that the consultative council the government appointed to work in the LGBT sector would be preparing a bill to be debated and approved by Parliament by the end of the year.

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