European Parliament Rules Gay Unions Must Be Recognized By All EU Members

[WillParkinson]

European Parliament Rules Gay Unions Must Be Recognized By All EU Members

The European Parliament has ruled that official documents such as marriage, civil union, birth, and death certificates must be recognized by all members of the European Union. Rex Wockner reports at Pink Paper:

"This is a great development for the many couples and families who see their fundamental rights diminished every day when crossing a border inside the EU," said Ulrike Lunacek, co-president of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights. Co-President Michael Cashman said the statement adopted by the Parliament "follows the Commission's assertion in September that freedom of movement must be guaranteed for all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation." "Claims that mutual recognition will undermine national sovereignty are plain wrong; it won't affect national marriage or partnership laws, but simply recognize civil unions that already exist," Cashman said.

Same-sex marriage is legal in the EU member nations of Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Civil unions or partnerships are recognized in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2010/12/european-parliament-rules-gay-unions.html

[joeybee12]

1. KNR!

[Vidar]

2. Bravo, Europe!

[DavidDvorkin]

3. So now they're ahead of us on the "full faith and credit" idea

US states seem to be free to disregard that part of the Constitution when it comes to marriage.

[Bluebear]

4. knr!

[rko_24550]

5. Good for Europe