You're reading: Gay marriage around Europe

Here is a look at gay marriage around Europe as France's Socialist government approved a draft law to allow same-sex marriage on Wednesday: 

* A registered partnership, sometimes called a civil partnership or union, allows two people who live together as a couple to register their union with the relevant public authority. Registered partnerships are considered equivalent to marriage in some but not all EU countries. Countries which do not recognise registered partnerships as equivalent to marriage are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein,Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

* Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark allow same-sex marriages and also recognise same-sex registered partnerships concluded in other countries. In countries that do not allow same-sex marriage but have some form of registered partnership, a same-sex marriage abroad generally provides the same rights as a registered partnership.

* In 1989, Denmark allowed homosexuals to enter a registered partnership, giving them the same housing, pension and immigration rights as married heterosexual couples. Denmark legalised same-sex marriage earlier this year.

* In 1994, Sweden legalised civil partnerships to be contracted in ceremonies similar to a civil marriage. Parliament voted to recognise same-sex marriage in 2009. In 2001, the Netherlands, which recognised registered partnerships in 1998, allowed same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

* A civil partnership law came into effect in 2005 in Britain. In 2011, a change in the law allowed civil partnerships to be registered on religious premises where faith groups permitted it. Last July, Scotland’s governmentannounced it intended to legislate to allow same-sex marriage.