"The right to freely choose one's partner in life is the most basic, personal, intimate one and no Member State has the right to deny people who are legitimate partners from enjoying their legal rights as a couple." says Sophie In't Veld (D66, Netherlands), vice president of the Civil liberties Committee, ahead of tonight's debate at the European Parliament on discrimination of same-sex married or in civil-partnership couples.

Despite the Stockholm programme, no concrete and appropriate action on LGBT rights has been presented to overcome the gap in the internal Market, where same sex-partners, especially when married or in a civil partnership, travelling, working or studying within the EU do not have their status recognised, therefore denied their rights. "The majority of Member States, as well as non EU countries, have introduced same sex marriage or registered partnership. All EU Member States should, at the very least, recognise each others' laws, hence ensure that EU citizens and their families can move freely within the EU and have their rights and duties recognised across EU borders." In't Veld added.

"We call on the Commission to ensure mutual recognition and free movement with concrete initiatives, to be launched together with an EU Roadmap against homophobia and on LGBT rights detailing upcoming EU measures in this field at EU and international level". She concludes