European Union
legislators called on E.U. governments Wednesday to end
discrimination against same-sex couples regarding
inheritance rights, property arrangements, tenancy,
and pensions.
In a resolution, the legislators also asked the
E.U.'s executive commission to consider penalties
against member states that fail to fully implement
laws guaranteeing equal treatment of same-sex partners where
workplace policies are concerned.
A series of
worrying events have taken place recently in a number of
E.U. member states [ranging] from the banning of gay
pride marches to use of inflammatory language by
leading political and religious figures," said the
resolution, condemning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Gay marches were banned last November in Poland,
a conservative Roman Catholic country that has been
grappling with the issue of how far to go in accepting
homosexuality. The Latvian government attempted to ban a
similar parade in July, the E.U. parliament said. (AP)
