The Swiss justice minister, Ruth Metzler, has met with her German counterpart, Herta Däubler-Gmelin, in the Swiss city of St Gallen for talks concerning common issues between the two countries.

Among the top items on their agenda was the status of homosexual couples in Switzerland and Germany, as well as the workload of the European Court in Strasbourg.

The Swiss government recently adopted a proposition concerning the rights of homosexual couples, aimed at improving their legal status.

The Swiss justice department said the German government has already put several important changes in motion regarding the legal status of homosexual couples in Germany.

Another major point of discussion between the two ministers was the over-burdened European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg.

Both Berlin and Bern have put forth proposals to help alleviate the large number of appeals facing the court and have agreed to work together further to find a solution.

Euthanasia was also an item which Metzler and Däubler-Gmelin talked about.

The Swiss justice department said the two ministers seemed to agree on the issues that were discussed.

swissinfo with agencies

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