Belgium has narrowly approved a proposed Bill to allow same-sex couples equal rights in adoption.
The Parliament in Brussels has seen senators give their backing to proposals at the end of last week by just 34 to 33 votes.
The House had previously given a 77 to 62 vote in favour of the Bill.
The vote means that when the Bill is adopted, Belgium will become just the fourth European Union member state to grant homosexuals equal rights with heterosexual couples.
Within the EU only Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden have given backing to gay adoption prior to Belgium.
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