The German Parliament has approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the country, a somewhat surprising move ahead of Federal elections in this fall:

BERLIN — When Sarah Kermer proposed to her girlfriend in March, she knew she was in love, but she did not know when, if ever, Germany would allow them to marry.

The answer came early Friday morning, when the lower house of the German Parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage after a brisk but emotional debate, prompting Ms. Kermer and scores of other gay and lesbian Germans to celebrate in the streets.

“I was at work, and I just started crying,” Ms. Kermer, 25, said as she and her fiancée left a spontaneous gathering at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin. “I was watching the decision on live-stream, and I cried — a lot. This has all happened just so fast.”

The historic decision came with a swiftness rare in Germany’s usually staid politics, just five days after Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly relaxed her party’s opposition to same-sex marriage and allowed lawmakers to vote on the issue according to their consciences.

Ms. Merkel’s softened resistance opened the way for her coalition partners in the Social Democratic Party and two other political groups to press for a vote on the measure, which had previously been blocked by Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their conservative allies. Ms. Merkel voted against the measure on Friday, but many of her party colleagues voted in favor, allowing it to pass easily — 393 votes in favor and 226 against, with four abstentions.

With the passage of the measure, Germany will join Ireland, France, Spain and other nations in extending full marital rights to same-sex couples, including the right to adopt children.

“If the Constitution guarantees one thing, it is that anyone in this country can live as they wish,” Thomas Oppermann, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats, said in opening the floor debate. “If gay marriage is decided, then many will receive something, but nobody will have something taken away.”

His remark was clearly intended to defuse the opposition of conservatives like Ms. Merkel who argued that the Constitution protected conventional marriage.

The chancellor explained her stance in a two-minute statement after the vote. She said that while she had come to support the right of same-sex couples to adopt, she continued to believe that marriage ought to remain a union between a man and a woman. What she did not want, she said, was a culture war over the issue.

“I hope that with today’s vote, not only that mutual respect is there between the individual positions, but also that an amount of social peace and togetherness can be created,” Ms. Merkel said.

Axel Hochrein, a board member of the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany who attended the parliamentary debate, expressed no bitterness toward Ms. Merkel, even though he had said Thursday evening that he thought she was leaning toward voting yes.

“This is perhaps part of her religious education,” Mr. Hochrein said of the chancellor’s vote. “I think it is more honest of her than to say yes. In the end, she fought for a long time against it, and always argued it was in her feelings, and this was a feelings decision.”

In contrast to Ms. Merkel’s no vote, several prominent members of her party supported the measure, including her chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, and the defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, who has held several important posts in Ms. Merkel’s cabinets over the years.

To become law, the measure still requires approval by the upper house of Parliament and the signature of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; neither appeared to be in doubt. Once the formalities are completed, Germany’s first same-sex marriages can be celebrated, probably some time in the early fall.

The legislative session on Friday was the last before Parliament’s summer recess, and the last before national elections in September.</s>German lawmakers voted by a wide margin to legalize same-sex marriage on Friday, just a week after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her opposition to letting parliament consider the matter.

Gay couples in Germany have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships since 2001, but could not marry or jointly adopt children. The German Parliament voted 393-226 to legalize same-sex marriage, and according to CNN, the bill is expected to pass in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, next week.

For years polls have shown most Germans support same-sex marriage, but Merkel’s party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union, was among those opposed to the issue. Recently, several left-leaning parties let it be known that they would not form a coalition with CDU after September’s general election if it remained opposed to “Ehe für alle” (marriage for all).

Merkel shifted her stance, saying on Monday at an event hosted by a women’s magazine that she’d like to see a vote on same-sex marriage that is “a question of conscience,” meaning members would not be pushed to vote along party lines. From there the vote was scheduled quickly, taking place on the last day before the summer recess, and the start of campaigning in the fall.

Merkel, the daughter of a Protestant pastor, said she voted against the bill. “For me and the basic law, it’s about the marriage of a woman and a man. That’s why I voted against it,” she said. “I hope that the vote today shows not only the mutual respect for different opinions but that this also leads to more peace and social cohesion as well.”

Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party, one of the groups that pushed for legalization of same-sex marriage, tweeted that the vote meant “progress is possible.”

The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, and several other European nations have embraced marriage equality, including Spain, France, and the U.K.</s>BERLIN — In forceful remarks before Germany’s Parliament on Thursday, long-serving Chancellor Angela Merkel predicted a difficult meeting of the world’s major economies next week in Hamburg over the climate agreement spurned by the Trump administration.

Despite the withdrawal of the United States, the world’s second-largest polluter, from the Paris climate agreement, the EU remains committed to it and it was not up for renegotiation, she said.

“Since the U.S. announced that it would exit the Paris agreement, we cannot expect any easy talks in Hamburg,” Merkel said, referring to the Group of 20 summit for the leaders of the major world economies. “The dissent is obvious, and it would be dishonest to cover it up.”

She said talks in Hamburg must “serve the substance and aims of the Paris accord” and made clear that she would not countenance calls to revise the agreement to forge a global consensus around limiting greenhouse gases.

Four weeks after President Trump announced he would take the United States out of the accord in order to negotiate a better deal, Merkel said the pact is “irreversible.”

Her vow echoed a rare joint statement from Germany, France and Italy rebuking Trump’s call to revise the agreement, drafted in Paris in late 2015 and later signed by 195 nations. They called the pact a “vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies.”

Trump maintained the agreement would have prevented the U.S. “from conducting its own domestic affairs.”
• US commerce secretary: US, Europe should have trade accord

A chasm separates Merkel and Trump – and not just on climate – as they head into the summit in the northern German port city of Hamburg. The German leader has said she intends also to make free trade and the shared burdens of managing the global refugee crisis focal points of discussions next weekend.

One of her goals, Merkel said, would be “to send a clear signal for free markets and against isolationism,” adding that those who believe in isolationism and protectionism are making “a tremendous error.”

Merkel was preparing for the annual summit by hosting a coterie of European heads of state in Berlin on Thursday.</s>(CNN) German lawmakers will decide whether to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, just days after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her longstanding opposition to allowing a free vote on the issue in parliament.

The bill, which is widely expected to pass, would give homosexual couples in Germany the same rights as heterosexual couples. Once it has been officially signed into law, same-sex couples will be able to marry and jointly adopt children.

While civil partnerships have been available to gay couples in Germany since 2001, same-sex marriages have not been recognized by the state.

Two-thirds of Germans said they were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in a recent YouGov poll

Gay rights activists in Germany have been calling for same-sex marriage to be legalized for many years.

If approved by the Bundestag on Friday, the bill is likely to pass through the Bundesrat -- Germany's upper house -- next week, paving the way for Germany to enter the club of more than 20 countries where same-sex marriage is legal.

Friday's vote comes at the end of a turbulent week in German politics. Facing pressure on the issue from the leaders of other political parties, Merkel announced Monday that she would like to see parliament move towards a "vote of conscience" on same-sex marriage.

The Chancellor made the comment at an event in Berlin hosted by women's magazine Brigitte, where she was asked by a gay man in the audience whether he would be able to refer to his partner as "my husband."

Merkel responded by acknowledging the widespread support for gay marriage among German voters and suggesting a free vote in parliament, meaning lawmakers vote freely rather than being asked to support their parties' official positions.

Her comments represent a significant shift for the German leader and her conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has long opposed same-sex marriage and promoted "traditional" family values.

But with September's election looming, Merkel has come under increasing pressure, with her main rivals and potential coalition partners announcing support for "Ehe für alle" (marriage for all).

The left-leaning Green party and the centrist FDP both said that they would not enter into any coalition deal with Merkel if "Ehe für alle" was not enshrined in it. The left-leaning Die Linke party has long supported full equality.

Following the Chancellor's comments Monday, Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) -- the second largest party in parliament -- tweeted: "We will push through marriage equality in Germany. This week."

Friday is the last chance for parliament to vote on the issue before it breaks for the summer recess and election campaigning begins in earnest.

While Merkel's announcement delighted LGBT rights campaigners and many of the country's liberal politicians, the vote has caused a rift within Merkel's party.

Gay rights have long been a controversial issue within the CDU and its more conservative Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Some CSU politicians reacted angrily to Merkel's comments and the vote.

"This is about the further disintegration of the social order," tweeted CSU politican Hans-Peter Friedrich on Wednesday.

"Marriage is reserved for a woman and a man," wrote Hans Reichart, a CSU politician in the Bavarian state parliament. "That must prevail!"

Anja Neundorf, associate professor at the University of Nottingham, sees Merkel's change of stance as an election tactic designed to appeal to the average German voter -- but one that could backfire among traditional, religious CSU supporters in Bavaria. Merkel needs the support of those voters to win the election.

CSU supporters "are much more sensitive to this issue" than other voters, Neundorf told CNN. And some might choose to simply stay at home on polling day, she explained.

By legalizing gay marriage, Germany would follow the path of many of its European neighbors, as well as countries around the world.

In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. More than 20 other nations have followed suit, including Spain, Canada, Argentina, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.</s>German lawmakers voted by a wide margin to legalize same-sex marriage on Friday, just a week after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her opposition to letting parliament consider the matter.

Gay couples in Germany have been allowed to enter into civil partnerships since 2001, but could not marry or jointly adopt children. The German Parliament voted 393-226 to legalize same-sex marriage, and according to CNN, the bill is expected to pass in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, next week.

For years polls have shown most Germans support same-sex marriage, but Merkel’s party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union, was among those opposed to the issue. Recently, several left-leaning parties let it be known that they would not form a coalition with CDU after September’s general election if it remained opposed to “Ehe für alle” (marriage for all).

Merkel shifted her stance, saying on Monday at an event hosted by a women’s magazine that she’d like to see a vote on same-sex marriage that is “a question of conscience,” meaning members would not be pushed to vote along party lines. From there the vote was scheduled quickly, taking place on the last day before the summer recess, and the start of campaigning in the fall.

Merkel, the daughter of a Protestant pastor, said she voted against the bill. “For me and the basic law, it’s about the marriage of a woman and a man. That’s why I voted against it,” she said. “I hope that the vote today shows not only the mutual respect for different opinions but that this also leads to more peace and social cohesion as well.”

Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party, one of the groups that pushed for legalization of same-sex marriage, tweeted that the vote meant “progress is possible.”

The Netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, and several other European nations have embraced marriage equality, including Spain, France, and the U.K.</s>BERLIN — A combative Chancellor Angela Merkel set herself on a collision course with President Trump and his “America first” agenda on Thursday, predicting “very difficult” talks over climate change and trade when she hosts a summit meeting of 20 global leaders next week.

Speaking before Parliament on a day when she also gathered European Union leaders in Berlin to form a common front, the German leader made no bones about the “obvious” disagreement with the United States.

“Whoever believes the problems of this world can be solved by isolationism and protectionism is making a tremendous error,” Ms. Merkel said, in what will most likely be her final address before Parliament before closing out her third term in office.

In the midst of an election campaign, the chancellor has been criticized by her main opponent for not standing up more forcefully to the American president. Her tough tone to some degree served as domestic political posturing, intended to enhance her appeal as a global leader uniquely qualified to guide Germany after more than 11 years in office.

But there was also little doubt that Ms. Merkel was trying to gird Germans and her European Union partners for a more conflictual relationship with the United States, which she said could no longer be counted on as a “reliable” ally after Mr. Trump’s visit to Europe in May.

Those divisions are likely to be full display during the Group of 20 summit meeting that begins July 7 in the German city of Hamburg, where Ms. Merkel will welcome not only Mr. Trump but also President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and other leaders from industrialized and emerging nations.

Global trade, as well as measures to halt climate change, migration, terrorism and international pandemics are all on the agenda. For the chancellor, however, the most important single message of the gathering is ensuring multilateral cooperation through international institutions. Those include the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, both of which will are taking part in the meeting.

The stage for conflict at the gathering was set in March, when a meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 ended in discord as the United States broke with its allies and forced a rewriting of the final joint statement. Among other things, the United States delegation insisted that a pledge to support the 2015 Paris accords on climate change be dropped.

In the months since, Washington has only toughened its stance, repeatedly criticizing Germany over its trade surplus and formally announcing that the United States would back out of the Paris climate agreement.

Combating climate change is an issue close to the chancellor’s heart, and on Thursday she saved some of her most pointed language to address her differences with the Trump administration. “Since the decision by the United States of America to quit the Paris climate accords, we are more determined than ever to make it a success,” Ms. Merkel told lawmakers.

“We will and must take on this existential challenge,” she said, “and we cannot and will not wait until every last person in the world can be convinced of climate change by scientific evidence. In other words: The climate treaty is irreversible and is not negotiable.”

Ms. Merkel said she would not pretend that differences with Washington on this stance do not exist. “It would be disingenuous if we tried to gloss over it,” she said. “At any rate, I will not do that.”

On global trade, German impatience with Washington’s stance could be seen this week, when the secretary of commerce, Wilbur Ross, canceled a trip to Berlin, where he was supposed to appear alongside of Ms. Merkel at an economic conference. Instead, Mr. Ross appeared via video link, repeating the administration’s criticism of the German trade surplus, but calling for the resumption of talks on a trans-Atlantic trade agreement. After his talk went on more than twice as long as the 10 minutes originally scheduled, organizers at the Christian Democrats’ Economic Council pulled the plug on him to allow the chancellor to take the stage.

The decision to cut the secretary off midsentence “had nothing to do with the content of the speech — we were just running behind schedule, and we told that to our contact on the American side,” said Klaus-Hubert Fugger, a spokesman for the council.

Mr. Trump is not the only challenge Ms. Merkel will face at the summit meeting, which the chancellor had hoped would demonstrate Germany’s role as an open, tolerant global leader. Trouble has also been brewing around the Turkish president, who has also clashed openly with the chancellor and her government, most recently by refusing to allow lawmakers to visit troops stationed at Incirlik Air Base. The German government relocated them in Jordan.

On Thursday, the German government rejected a request by Mr. Erdogan to hold a rally while he is in the country for the gathering.

An estimated three million Turks or Germans with Turkish heritage live in the country, and officials in Berlin fear stirring up conflicts linked to Turkish domestic policies. Ms. Merkel’s government has condemned Turkey’s crackdown on dissent since a coup attempt against the Turkish leader last July. And this year, Germany refused to let politicians from Mr. Erdogan’s party address campaign rallies in the country before a Turkish referendum, a decision which the Turkish president criticized as “Nazi style” behavior.

Hamburg is home to about 90,000 Turkish immigrants and their descendants, many of them ethnic Kurds, and security officials in the port city are seeking to prevent any clashes between Mr. Erdogan’s supporters and opponents in Germany. Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to descend on Hamburg during the summit meeting, taking part in mass demonstrations that have been planned surrounding the event.

On Wednesday, Germany’s highest court ruled that city officials had to allow demonstrators to camp in city parks. The police had sought to prevent such tent cities, arguing they could harbor protesters planning violence. Protesters say the camps are necessary to allow them to demonstrate an alterative, anticapitalist style of living.

In closing her address to Parliament, the chancellor acknowledged the right to protest but urged those taking part to show restraint.

“We know that there will be protests, and that is more than legitimate in a democracy,” Ms. Merkel said, adding her hope “that these demonstrations will be peaceful.”</s>BERLIN: Germany's parliament is set to vote on a bill to legalise same-sex marriage Friday after the lower house legislative committee put it on the agenda, its chairwoman said.

"The path to equality is open," said the chairwoman, Renate Kuenast of the left-leaning ecologist Greens opposition party, in a tweet on Wednesday.

The bill is widely expected to pass as it is backed by most parties and Chancellor Angela Merkel has told lawmakers of her centre-right party that they can vote according to their conscience.

The reform would grant full marital rights -- including the possibility to jointly adopt children -- to gay and lesbian couples, who in Germany are now only able to enter so-called civil unions.

The bill was hastily put on the parliamentary agenda on the last day before the summer break by the centre-left Social Democrats, Greens and far-left Linke party.

They acted after Merkel had on Monday night dropped her long-time opposition to the reform, sparking widespread calls for a speedy vote.

Merkel had long voiced personal reservations about gay marriage with adoption rights, citing concern about "the well-being of the children".

Last Sunday, her junior coalition partners and election rivals, the Social Democrats (SPD), upped the ante by declaring they would insist on same-sex marriage in any future alliance.

All other political parties hold the same view, leaving Merkel's party opposed along with the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Merkel signalled her shifting position Monday in an on-stage interview with the editor of women's magazine Brigitte.

She said her thinking had changed after a "memorable experience" when she recently met a lesbian couple who lovingly care for eight foster children in her Baltic coast constituency.</s>German lawmakers voted by a wide margin to legalize same-sex marriage days after Chancellor, Angela Merkel dropped her longstanding opposition to a free vote on the issue.

The bill gives homosexual couples in Germany the same rights as heterosexual couples, and will allow same sex couples to marry and jointly adopt children.

The votes pass by 393 votes to 226, with four abstentions.

Speaking after the votes, Merkel said she had voted no on the issue, but that it had been important to put the question to a vote of conscience.

” For me and the basic law , its about the marriage of a woman and a man. That’s why i voted against it,” she said.</s>BERLIN — The German Parliament plans to vote Friday on whether to legalize same-sex marriage — only days after Chancellor Angela Merkel backed off her conservative party’s long-standing refusal to budge on the issue.

The German news agency dpa reported Wednesday the Parliament’s legal committee had given its OK for the vote to take place Friday.

Merkel surprisingly said Monday she could see lawmakers making the issue a “decision of conscience,” voting according to individual preferences rather than along party lines.

Her comment came ahead of Germany’s Sept. 24 election in which all of Merkel’s potential coalition partners, including the center-left Social Democrats of her challenger, Martin Schulz, are calling for same-sex marriage to be legalized.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships since 2001.

Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram</s>FRANKFURT AM MAIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that she was considering how to protect "strategic" EU industries from Chinese investment, drawing closer to the position of French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Europe must work hard to defend its influence and above all to speak with one voice to China," Merkel told business weekly WirtschaftsWoche.

"Seen from Beijing, Europe is more like an Asian peninsula. Obviously, we see things differently," she added.

While the Chinese and European economies were increasingly intertwined, Merkel said, there remain points of contention about strategic industries and government procurement.

Citing the example of recent German investment in microchip manufacturing, Merkel argued that "if countries like China then want to buy up what has been built with large subsidies, we have to react," possibly by defining some industrial branches as having strategic significance for Europe.

Equally, "we are willing to allow the Chinese to take part [in bids for government contracts] in Europe, but then we want access in the other direction to their procurement," she said.

"We have to deal with China's claims and demands in such a way that there is a harmonious development to everyone's advantage."

At an EU summit last week, leaders failed to agree on handing more power to Brussels to control foreign investments in strategic European industries, despite a charm offensive by the recently-elected French leader.

But Merkel, who has closed ranks with Macron in a bid to revive the traditional Franco-German "motor" of the EU following Britain's decision to quit the bloc, noted that heads of government would soon discuss the idea again.

The chancellor welcomes leaders of industrialised and emerging economies to the northern port city Hamburg next week for a G20 summit.

She has been straining to unite European neighbours around free-trade and climate-friendly policies as a counterweight to United States President Donald Trump.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to champion both topics since Trump took office, aiming to align more closely with Europe.

But Merkel's comments Thursday suggest there could be more frost than expected ahead of the G20 next week, when Xi joins the chancellor to unveil two pandas loaned by Beijing to Berlin zoo in a sign of friendly ties.
German same-sex couples may be able to marry after Chancellor Angela Merkel drops her opposition for a parliamentary vote.