The first reading of the draft bill for "equality in marriage" for same sex couples began before the relevant committees in the Hellenic Parliament on Monday, with New Democracy rapporteur Maria Syreggela stressing that this was another major reform by the government.
Once the bill is passed into law, she noted, Greece will be the 37th country that will introduce equality in civil marriage into national law. She noted that with a minimum of changes, the bill will ensure access to civil marriage to all Greek citizens, regardless of sexual orientation and protect the rights of children raised by same-sex couples.
The draft bill will be discussed in three parliamentary committees, including the Standing Committee for Public Administration, Public Order and Justice, the Standing
Committee for Social Afrfairs and the Special Permanent Committee for Equality, Youth and Human Rights. The appropriate bodies will be summoned on Wednesday and a second reading of the bill will take place on Monday, February 12. The aim is for the bill to be voted on in the Parliament plenum on February 15.