Malta on Monday (14 April) legalised both same-sex unions and joint adoptions by gay couples.
"Malta is now more liberal and more European, and it has given equality to all its people," said Labour Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, reports Reuters.
Lawmakers in Malta's parliament voted 37-0 to legalise the two measures, sparking celebrations in the capital.
The new law defines gay unions as registered partnerships, with all the rights and obligations of married heterosexual coup...
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.