Civil union

 The visit is considered highly symbolic as it comes after the turmoil caused by the bill on civil marriage of same-sex couples

Greek LGBT+ couples were preparing to tie the knot on Friday, one day after a historic parliamentary vote made same-sex civil marriage legal, the culmination of decades of campaigning for equal rights.

Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. At least for the near future, it will almost certainly be the only one.

Lawmakers begin a debate Wednesday on a landmark bill to legalize same-sex marriage that would make Greece the first Orthodox Christian country to do so.

The Valentine's Day session in parliament follows vocal opposition and protests from the church but also a shift in public opinion which - while still divided - is narrowly supportive of the reform.

Pushback within the ruling conservatives will delay a bill on same-sex civil marriage.

Officials say the bill will likely come up in early 2024, at a safe distance before June's European Parliament elections.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled on Tuesday that the Romanian state is breaching article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to respect for private and family life - by not allowing same-sex couples to marry or register civil partnerships.

Ljubljana – The government adopted on Friday legislative changes to remedy the regulation prohibiting homosexual couples from getting married or adopting children. The changes to the family code will be fast tracked through parliament, the Government Communication Office said.

It's a chance, they argue, for Czechia to distinguish itself from the populist-conservative values that the likes of Vladimir Putin have weaponised and for the five-party centre-right governing coalition that took power in December to match its declared goal of reasserting Prague's commitment to liberal democracy with action.

Ljubljana – Close to 6,000 couples got married in Slovenia last year and 58 same-sex couples registered formal civil unions. August was the most popular month for a wedding, data from the Statistics Office shows.

Montenegro Pride participants with a giant rainbow flag in Podgorica. Photo: BIRN/Samir Kajosevic

LGBT Forum Progress's executive director, John Barac, said that Montenegro has failed to make legal changes to allow Montenegrins in same-sex partnerships to register their marriages in their home country.