Breaking down barriers for same sex partnerships

According to the Council of Europe, same sex couples are being denied the same rights as heterosexual couples in Europe because they cannot freely move from country to country. 

Currently only seven European countries allow same sex marriages, and only 14 accept civil partnerships. The other countries have much stricter rules, which effectively creates a barrier for same sex couples, who risk losing their social, fiscal or parental rights, or even their nationalities if they move to one of these countries.

The Council of Europe is to host a conference to look for solutions to problems of mutual recognition of same sex partnership and marriages in both the European Union and Council of Europe member countries.

The conference will hear from people who have been denied their rights and look at how business and public organisations deal with international staff transfers.