A landmark ruling from the European Court of Justice mandates all EU countries to recognise the marriage of same-sex couples, a Fine Gael MEP has said.
MEP Maria Walsh, who is Co-Chair of the European Parliament’s LGBTQI+ Intergroup, has hailed the ruling as a win for Irish LGBTQI+ families and their right to live, love and move freely across the EU.
The case involved two Polish citizens, legally married in Germany, who were refused recognition of their marriage at home. The Court found that this refusal unlawfully restricted the couple’s freedom of movement and violated their right to respect for private and family life.
This week’s outcome makes clear that when an EU citizen legally marries in one Member State, that marriage must be respected when they move to another.
Maria Walsh MEP said:
“As an MEP and a member of the LGBTQI+ community myself, fighting for equal rights for every EU citizen is top of my priority list. This week’s ruling shows that if you are married in one EU country, you are married across the EU. Your family life cannot simply be erased when you cross a border.
“The Court’s decision marks progress in our fight for full equality, but make no mistake; the rights and lives of LGBTQI+ people across the EU are under threat.
“I hope this ruling sends a strong message, in particular, to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who has introduced increasingly homophobic laws over the past few years. Anti-LGBTQI+ legislation introduced by the Orbán government in 2021 censors inclusive sex education, equates LGBTQI+ ‘lifestyles’ with paedophilia, and blocks adoption for LGBTQI+ couples.
“Europe cannot rest on its laurels, on the idea that we have achieved true equality for our citizens. While homophobic laws are introduced in Hungary, we don’t have to look any further than our own island to see a rise in hate crime right here in Ireland.
“This week’s ruling, however, is progress. It is real, tangible progress for LGBTIQ+ people and our families. Let’s keep pushing for a Union that respects and protects every one of us.”