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Debate has occurred throughout Europe over proposals to legalise same-sex parental adoption as well as step-child adoption.
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Currently some types of adoption by same-sex couples are legal in 20 of the 56 countries and in 4 of the 6 dependent territories in Europe. Full joint adoption by same-sex couples is legal in sixteen European countries, namely Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. An additional three, namely, Estonia, Germany and Slovenia, permit step-child adoption in which the registered partner can adopt the biological and, in some cases, the adopted child of his or her partner. In Croatia, a life partner may become a partner-guardian over their partner's child, which is to a great extent comparable to step-child adoption. As for the dependent territories, joint adoption by same-sex couples is legal in Gibraltar, Greenland, the Isle of Man and Jersey. Several countries are currently considering permitting full joint or step-child adoption by same-sex couples.
Full joint adoption
Faroe Islands: On 29 April 2016, the Faroese Parliament passed a bill allowing same-sex marriage and joint adoption. The bill now awaits approval in the Danish Parliament.
Germany: The opposition party The Left submitted a bill to the Federal Diet on 23 October 2013. It had its first reading on 19 December 2013.
Guernsey: In May 2015, Guernsey's Chief Minister announced that a review of the 1960 Adoption Law which bars unmarried couples from adopting was scheduled for 24 June 2015. The Chief Minister hopes to extend full adoption rights to couples in overseas civil partnerships and those who have lived together for some time. On 24 June 2015, the States of Guernsey agreed to bring about changes to its adoption law.
Step-child adoption
Czech Republic: In September 2014, a group of deputies introduced a bill to allow step-child adoption by a partner of the same-sex. In October, the government decided to not take a stance on the bill. In June 2016 the Constitutional Court ruled that people living in registred partnership are allowed to adopt children. Same-sex couples still have not access to joint and step-child adoption but one of partners can adopt, even if lives in partnership. Legislation to allow partial or step-child adoption rights was introduced by the government to the Parliament of the Czech Republic on 8 November, 2016. A vote on the bill will happen sometime in mid-2017.
San Marino: In March 2016, the United Left announced a proposal for a gender-neutral partnership bill with adoption rights. The junior coalition partner, the Party of Socialists and Democrats, expressed their openness to same-sex parenting and may submit their own bill with step-child adoption rights.
Switzerland: In 2011 and 2012, the Swiss Parliament debated whether to extend step-child adoption or full joint adoption, ultimately opting for step-child adoption. In November 2014, the government approved allowing step-child adoption as part of a broader adoption reform. In 2016, the Council of States and the National Council approved a bill to allow step-child adoption. Differing texts caused the two chambers to agree on a final, slightly modified version of the bill that was passed in Parliament on 17 June 2016 by a vote of 125-68 with 3 abstentions. Members of several parties have announced an effort to force a referendum following the publication of Parliament's positive decision on the bill in the country's Federal Gazette, but failed to collect the required 50,000 signatures in time allowing the law to be enacted.
Public opinion
According to pollster Gallup Europe, women, younger generations, and the highly educated are more likely to support same-sex marriage and adoption rights for gay people than other demographics.
In the United Kingdom in 2007, 64% of people said they thought gay couples should be allowed to adopt and 32% said they should not. 55% of respondents thought that male couples should be able to adopt and 59% of people thought that lesbian couples should be able to adopt.