Romanian gay rights association ACCEPT requests recognition for same-sex couples married in other EU states
ACCEPT, one of the most well-known gay rights associations in Romania, launched an administrative request asking the state to transcribe the marriage certificates of same-sex couples married in other EU states into civil status registers.
The first families symbolically signed the transcription requests during the event “Romania, We Say YES! Our Families Will Find Their Place at Home,” on Wednesday, May 13. The moment was also attended by Romanian Ombudsperson Renate Weber, according to G4Media.
The move comes after the final ruling delivered in November 2025 by the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the case Cupriak-Trojan v. Mazowieckie Voivode, which originated from a preliminary question raised by a court in Poland. ACCEPT stated that the decision created an obligation for all EU states to transcribe same-sex marriages into national civil status registers, even if domestic legislation does not allow such marriages to be concluded.
One of the couples attending the ACCEPT event, Cristina and Jadwiga, said they returned to Romania from Spain, where they got married. They are now asking the Romanian state to recognize their family.
“We got married because we love each other and, like all people who love and respect one another, we want to grow old together. After years of living in a country where all families are treated with dignity, we returned to Romania, the place we call home. We continue to be a family here as well and expect the Romanian state to recognize this fact,” the two said.
ACCEPT stated that, in the absence of legal recognition, same-sex persons married in other EU states lose their marital status when they return to Romania. They cannot make medical decisions for one another, cannot be recognized as next of kin in emergencies, cannot automatically inherit shared property, and cannot benefit from tax facilities dedicated to families. Same-sex couples who have worked abroad and want to return home are in the same position.
Ombudsperson Renate Weber said it is difficult to accept that Romania, an EU member state for almost 20 years, still does not recognize families made up of same-sex persons. The official also criticized the Romanian Civil Code for failing to recognize same-sex marriages concluded abroad. “I will address Parliament regarding the repeal of the article in the Civil Code that provides for the prohibition of marriages concluded abroad between persons of the same sex,” Weber said.
Florin Buhuceanu, representative of the Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives and party in a case in which the European Court of Human Rights delivered a final ruling regarding the lack of legal protection for same-sex families in Romania, said authorities have delayed recognition of these families for too long. He added that LGBTQIA+ persons represent approximately 9% of Romania’s population and that the state cannot continue denying them the right to private and family life.
(Photo source: Asociatia Accept on Facebook)
