Families had pressed for recognition
Stella Belia, head of the Rainbow Families support group, described the long campaign in an Associated Press interview published before the vote. “I’ve been fighting for this ever since I figured out who I was,” she said. Her account placed families’ everyday experience at the centre of the debate.
Government links the bill to children’s rights
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament that recognition would address practical inequalities affecting children already living with same-sex parents. He pointed to school, hospital and travel arrangements and the protection of children if a recognised parent died. He distinguished civil marriage from religious ceremonies and said assisted-reproduction rules were unchanged. [2]
Advocates identify the remaining gaps
ILGA-Europe and NELFA urged the government to extend equality further. Their joint statement said the law had not opened in-vitro fertilisation to female same-sex couples or addressed unequal access to surrogacy. They welcomed marriage recognition while keeping the wider rights of people wishing to form families on the political agenda.