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The civil union of same-sex couples has been approved by the government of Austria on Tuesday. This approval would give the homosexual couples the freedom for enjoying some of the rights which heterosexual couples are enjoying. The announcement was made by Justice Minister Claudia Bandion-Ortner on Tuesday.
The so-called registered partnerships are to give homosexual partners rights regarding social security claims, inheritance or court trials. But the homosexual couples have no permission for adopting children.
The amendments required for other laws would be done by end of this year, so that the new laws come into force from 2010.
"We see this as a first step into the future," said Jona Solomon, a leader of the Vienna-based homosexual advocacy group HOSI Wien, adding that her group would continue to engage in fighting for equal rights at all levels.
Unlike traditional marriages, which involve a ceremony by a civil registrar, gays and lesbians are granted no such right and will simply have their union recorded by local authorities.
Civil unions of homosexual couples are allowed in Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain.
