英国《卫报》报道，来自德国的这条消息也许会使同性恋者倍感欢喜，德国司法部表示计划在今夏结束之前将允许同性恋结婚的条款写入立法。

　　德国司法部部长布里吉特·齐普里斯女士表示，德国政府将绕过联邦参议院制定允许同性恋者结婚的条文，他们将享有同异性恋结婚的夫妇同样的权利。联邦参议院占据议会的大多数席位，他们属于保守派，强力反对同性恋。

　　在接受柏林一家报纸的采访时，齐普里斯女士指出：“同性恋是德国的一种真实存在，所以我们应该让他们享受和异性恋夫妇同样的权利，这样的权利也应该在宪法中有所体现。”

　　在德国自2001年，同性恋可以注册他们的关系，但是仅仅是登记一下，即将出台的这部新宪法规定他们享有和其他异性恋夫妇相同的权利。在离婚的时候，他们也要向对方提供赡养费以及进行财产分割。齐普里斯女士表示：“同姓恋结婚一旦结婚，他们从此就要担负起责任，他们也应该享受宪法规定的权利和义务，并且被社会同等看待。”但是有除外的一点是，依然不允许同性恋夫妇收养其他人的小孩。然而，同性恋夫妇可以收养彼此之间的小孩，条件是如果一方确实是孩子生物学上的父亲或母亲。

　　德国的保守势力强烈反对这一新宪法，三年前，德国允许同性恋在联邦法庭登记他们的关系时就遭到了基督教民主联盟和教会的极力反对。但是最终同性恋者还是得到了这一权利，尽管他们当时尚未得到和异性恋者相同的权利。大约5千对同性恋夫妇登记了他们的关系。德国政府在2002年就试图使同性恋享有和异性恋夫妇同样的权利，但是遭到了联邦参议院的否决。这次，齐普里斯女士计划使用速战速决的方法避开参议院的阻挠以便通过这一宪法。第一步是在今夏之前提交讨论有关收养和继承方面的具体条款。虽然联邦参议院对这些法律可以实施否决权，但是联邦政府可以不经过上议院的同意而使其通过。然而，参议院却有权对公民的税收法律投反对票，这些内容包括在新宪法的第二部分中，对它们的讨论将在秋天进行。年度男女同性恋克里斯朵夫大街游行日的组织者迈克·施密特表示；“对于使第二部分得到通过似乎难度更大些，保守派反对所有的民主思想比如放松移民法律以及允许同性恋享有相同权利等等。”他还表示；“如果你观察一下同性恋和异性恋，你就会发现他们之间并没有什么实质性的差异，所以他们也应该享有相同的权利。”

　　到目前为止，是否允许同性恋结婚的问题成了欧洲引起广泛争议的话题，在法国西南部的贝格尔，尽管市长马梅尔受到违反法律的恐吓，但他还是主持了法国第一个同性恋婚礼。

Germany to allow same-sex marriages

Germany's justice minister has vowed to introduce legislation to permit same-sex marriages before the end of the summer, overriding the objections of the country's powerful conservative lobby.

Brigitte Zypries said the government would bypass the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament where conservatives hold the majority, to grant gay and lesbian couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.

In an interview with Berliner Zeitung, Ms Zypries, a member of the ruling Social Democratic party, said: "Gay and lesbian couples are a social reality in Germany. Therefore we will grant them, as far as is compatible with constitutional rights of marriage and family, the same rights as [heterosexual] couples."

Gay couples have been able to register their relationships since 2001, but the new laws will grant them almost all of the same rights as married heterosexuals. In addition to tax benefits, gay and lesbian couples will inherit pensions and property from their partners if they die. They will also be entitled to alimony and property if they get divorced and be barred from testifying against their partners in trials.

"[Same-sex couples] must pay maintenance, provide for each other once they are married," she said. "They will enjoy the same constitutional rights and be treated equally."

The only exception is that a ban on gay couples adopting other people's children will remain in force. However, gay couples can adopt each other's children, if one of the partners is the biological parent.

Germany's powerful conservatives are fighting the extension of marriage laws to homosexuals, but will be powerless to stop half the changes going into force.

Three years ago the opposition Christian Democratic Union and the church challenged the registration of same-sex lifetime partnerships in the federal constitutional court.

But the court ruled that same-sex unions were permitted by the constitution, although gay couples do not enjoy the same rights of marriage and family as heterosexual couples. About 5,000 same-sex couples have registered lifetime partnerships.

Michael Schmidt, organiser of the annual gay and lesbian Christopher Street Day parade, said: "The problem with the same-sex life partnerships is that it brings only obligations and virtually no rights. It has not been popular."

The government attempted to introduce the same tax rules for registered gay and lesbian couples as heterosexual couples in 2002, but the Bundesrat vetoed the proposal.

This time Ms Zypries will dodge conservative opposition by splitting the new laws into two parts. The first package will be presented before the summer recess and deals with changes to the law on adoption and inheritance rights.

While the Bundestag can vote against these laws, the federal government does not need the approval of the upper house. But the Bundestag does have the power to veto laws that affect taxation and the rights of citizens and these will be included in the second passage in the autumn.

"The fight for the second package will be much harder. The conservatives have a very strong rightwing political mentality. They are opposed to all liberal ideas like loosening immigration laws or granting gays more rights," Mr Schmidt said.

"But if you look same-sex relations and heterosexual ones, there are no really big differences so they should be granted the same rights."

The issue of same-sex marriage has become increasingly contentious across Europe.

In France Noel Mamere, the mayor of Begles in the south-west of France, presided over the country's first gay marriage at the weekend, despite warnings that he was breaking the law.

The interior minister, Dominique de Villepin, has accused Mr Mamere of contravening the French civil code and has started disciplinary proceedings against him.