Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 19:04:18 +0200
Subject: EGALITE - Press release

NO EQUAL RIGHTS FOR GAY EU OFFICIALS AND THEIR PARTNERS

EGALITE, the association of gays and lesbians who work for the European
institutions, would like to thank the many national gay organisations and
the media for the attention and support they have lent us in our efforts to
obtain equal treatment and full recognition, regardless of our sexual
orientation.  Last year, the European Parliament requested the EU Council of
Ministers to adopt legislation to end discrimination on these grounds within
the EU institutions.

Under the British presidency, the Council decided however to leave gay and
lesbian EU employees and their partners in the predicament they were in to
begin with: unrecognised, whether they have been registered as a couple or
not.

Despite our joint lobbying efforts, the Council has not responded to our
arguments and so far not even notified us directly of its recent decision to
maintain discrimination against gays and lesbians, in the sense that
"Officials shall be entitled to equal treatment under these Staff
Regulations without reference, direct or indirect, to race, political,
philosophical or religious beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, without
prejudice to the relevant provisions requiring a specific marital status."

In other words, marriage remains a condition upon which recognition as a
couple depends, unless the Court of Justice in Luxembourg decides to
reinterpret the concepts of marital status and spouse.

The Swedish government is officially lending support to a Swedish official
and his registered partner in a court case against the Council on the
grounds that the Council does not respect Swedish law.  The advocate general
and the Court will no doubt thoroughly examine the concepts of marital
status and spouse in the light of this argument, and we hope that the
verdict will bring an end to discrimination against registered couples from
various Member States.

The European Commission recently launched a reflection group on staff
policy.  EGALITE has asked to be heard by this group and expects it to
propose measures to bring its own house in order.  After all, the Treaty of
Amsterdam introduced a new procedure to combat discrimination on various
grounds in EU Member States.  EGALITE expects the institutions to adopt this
approach towards their own staff as well.

According to EGALITE's President Marion Oprel, the Council of Ministers has
missed an important symbolic occasion to set this record "straight".

For more information, contact:
Bernard Lonnoy
EGALITE Secretary
European Commission
rue de la Loi 200 (SC15-4/141)
B-1049  BRUSSELS
E-mail: bernard.lonnoy@dg3.cec.be