EU Court Holds Surviving Life Partner Should Receive Pension Benefits

The following is from Court rules on gay marriage rights, news.yahoo.com, April 1, 2008:

EU nations that recognize same-sex unions as legal marriages must grant surviving partners the same pension rights as given to those in traditional marriages, the EU Court of Justice ruled Tuesday.***

The EU court said pension plan had discriminated against the man on the grounds of sexual orientation because the men’s relationship had been recognized under German law as a legally registered life partnership equivalent to a traditional marriage.

The court did not say, however, that all 27 EU nations must recognize same-sex unions, only that if they did they must grant life partners the same benefits.***