LGBT votes in 2009-2014: Mutual recognition of all EU marriages (3/5)
During the 2009-2014 legislature, MEPs voted on LGBT issues over 250 times. In the run-up to the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on 17 May, we’ll publish a series of 6 infographics summarising political groups’ votes on key LGBT issues.
In March 2012, MEPs voted to support a paragraph on the free movement of LGBT families in Europe. The EU Citizenship report, in which the paragraph was included, examined obstacles to citizens’ right to free movement.
Citizens who are married or in a partnership with someone of the same sex often see their rights vanish when they cross an internal border, even though their marriage/partnership is legal in their home country, just like different-sex marriages. This can cause great trouble in the areas of pension, inheritance, child custody, schooling or healthcare.
The mutual recognition of all civil status documents wouldn’t make same-sex marriages legal across the EU (the EU doesn’t have this power), but would ensure that existing legal marriages are recognised everywhere.
The vote on paragraph 8 was to “ensure freedom of movement for all EU citizens and their families, without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or nationality”, and call on Member States to guarantee free movement “not only to different-sex spouses, but also to registered partners, members of the household of an EU citizen and partners who are in a duly attested stable relationship with an EU citizen, including members of same-sex couples”.
Percentages indicate MEPs who supported the measure out of MEPs taking part in the vote. Nominal votes are publicly available on VoteWatch. Numbers were adjusted to reflect vote corrections.
The next infographic will be published tomorrow.
Read more:
- Read our press release ‘European Parliament stands up for same-sex families’ free movement’
- Read the European Parliament resolution of 29 March 2012 on the EU Citizenship Report 2010: Dismantling the obstacles to EU citizens’ rights
- Read all articles about freedom of movement
- View all #LGBTvotes infographics
