Same-sex partnerships and the EU

In a lively European Parliament debate, Euro-MPs have demanded that the European Commission should forcefully push all EU member states to fully recognise same-sex partnerships (registered and married) contracted in another EU country. MEPs are critical of what they see as the Commission’s slowness to enforce EU free movement rights for LGBT couples.

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford said: “Gay or lesbian couples can be in a civil partnership here in the UK – or married under for example Dutch law and hopefully soon under UK law – but find themselves treated as 2 singles when they move to another EU country. This means not being recognised as a family and forced to forfeit many legal and tax advantages. This unacceptably unequal treatment of same-sex couples certainly breaches existing EU non-discrimination and free movement rules, although the legal regime itself needs tightening to give EU states no possible let-out.”
The MEP went on to explain that not enough pressure was being put upon member states to comply with what is already an EU ruling: “I have lost patience with the hesitation and prevarication experienced from Brussels so far. The European Commission needs to cease being the meek lamb and start playing wolf on LGBT rights in the EU.”