EU states ‘must’ recognise LGBT couples

Member states of the European Union (EU) must recognise legal unions established in other EU countries, even if such unions are not legal within other member states, following a court ruling.

The ruling was given by the EU’s Court of Justice (CJEU), which ruled that the same-sex marriage of two men must be officially recognised in Poland, where same-sex marriage is illegal: they had been refused recognition after moving there, having been married in Germany.

While the court did not state that such unions must be legalised in every member state, the judgment does have implications for nations with more conservative laws concerning marriage and partnerships, with all 27 member states now required to affirm unions formed in more liberal countries.