[Repost: Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 6 Oct 2011] CHISINAU -- An EU envoy has urged Moldova to pass an antidiscrimination bill that would protect homosexuals and other minorities if it wants progress on talks for visa-free travel to the EU, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.

[Repost: EP Intergroup on LGBT Rights, 28 Sept 2011] Today the European Parliament joined the United Nations’ call for safeguarding the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the world. The text was co-signed by 6 out of 7 political groups, and adopted with a very wide majority.

Sofia, 22 July 2011 – The Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD) [equality body website, in Bulgarian] addressed its first request for a preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning the interpretation of the burden of proof provisions and the discrimination definitions under Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin.

Brussels, 8 September 2011 - The European Commission has affirmed that a blanket ban on blood donations from gay men and MSM (men who have sex with men) would be contrary to European Union law. Answering a written question from members of the European Parliament the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy indicated that EU law warranted the deferral of those “at high risk of acquiring severe infectious diseases” due to their “sexual behaviour”. Mr Dalli underlined that “‘sexual behaviour’ is not identical with ‘sexual orientation’”.

Croatia, 12 June 2011 - Just one day after the European Commission endorsed Croatia's application for membership of the European Union (to commence in 2013) violence erupted at Croatia's first LGBT Pride Parade held in Split.

The long-awaited judgement by the European Court of Justice in the Jürgen Römer v. City of Hamburg (C-147/08) will be delivered on May 10, 2011 and published on the Court's website.

Strasbourg, 21 Mar 2011- The European Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Court of Human Rights have published a handbook on anti-discrimination law in the European Union. The handbook is the first of its kind to explain non-discrmination law stemming from the European Convention and the European Union in a single document.

Poland, 2 February 2011 - The Campaign against Homophobia in Poland has submitted a complaint to the European Commission over the refusal by Polish registry offices to issue certificates to same-sex couples who wish to marry in other countries.

In a statement by the European Commission to Committee of Petitions in the European Parliament, the Commission indcated that it “…will analyse and discuss if the Polish regulations violate European law and whether they are having a negative effect on citizens’ movement within the EU”.