Strasbourg, 19/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - Danish Social Democrat MEP Torben Lund has welcomed Commissioner Neil Kinnock's initiative to end discrimination against gays working in the European institutions. Answering an oral question from an MEP at the plenary session in Strasbourg last week, Mr Kinnock said that the Commission was seeking "to provide full statutory recognition and commensurate benefits for all EU staff who are in partnerships that are shown to be stable in nature". This means that homosexual relationships will be regarded in the same way as heterosexual relationships on four conditions: the couple must provide a legal document of an EU Member State which acknowledges their status as non-marital partners; neither partner may be married or in another non-marital relationship; there must be no blood relationship in the first or second line between partners; and the couple must not have access to legal marriage in a Member State. People meeting these requirements will be entitled to the family-related benefits that are currently available only to heterosexual married couples and to homosexual officials of Dutch nationality. The entitlements include household allowance, health insurance, survivor's pension and annual travel allowance. The issue will be assessed at the next meeting of the heads of administration of all EU situations, explained Mr Kinnock, adding that the Commission would be presenting its formal proposals for amendments to the Staff Regulations in the spring of 2002 to the Council and Parliament.