A majority of European countries have voted to recognize and honor LGBTQ+ parents.

This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ Nation.

The European Union will support families regardless of how the child was conceived or born.

The European Union has voted to endorse parenthood, inclusive of same-sex parents, across the continent.

The European Certificate of Parenthood will acknowledge parenthood irrespective of the method of conception, birth, or family structure, ensuring associated rights to education, healthcare, custody, and succession.

The decision upholds the rights of same-sex parents throughout the EU, irrespective of individual country policies, provided the child is born in a member state.

Nations can establish their regulations on recognizing certain forms of parenthood, such as surrogacy. However, once a certificate is approved in one member country, it must be acknowledged in all of them. States can only reject a parenthood certificate if it is “manifestly incompatible with public order” in specified cases.

The European Certificate of Parenthood will not serve as a replacement for national documents. Instead, it will be accessible online and available for citizens across all EU countries. Once issued, it must be recognized and honored.

“No child should face discrimination based on their lineage or birth circumstances. Presently, children can legally lose parental recognition when crossing into another Member State. This is unacceptable,” emphasized Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques, a Member of the European Parliament from Portugal. “With this vote, we are moving closer to the objective of ensuring that parenthood recognized in one Member State holds true across all Member States.”

The measure would safeguard over two million children.

“This provision is necessary to safeguard the fundamental rights of minors regardless of the sexual orientation of their parents and regardless of how they were born,” said Italian MEP Sabrina Pignedoli. “Anyone who is a father or mother in one Member State will, in fact, be automatically recognized in all other Member States and will, therefore, be able to move freely with their children throughout Europe.”

“Today, unfortunately, this is not the case in Hungary, Poland, or Bulgaria, countries that do not recognize parenthood established in another state in the cases of LGBT parents,” Pignedoli continued. “Even in Italy, as is known, there is strong discrimination, and the judicial authority often has to intervene to re-establish the rights recognized abroad.”

In Italy, as in other conservative countries, anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ groups opposed the measure.

After receiving approval from the European Parliament, the measure must now secure unanimous passage from the governments of all member countries.