| Part of the LGBTQ rights series |
 LGBTQportal |
Lithuania does not recognise same-sex marriages or civil unions. A bill to legalise civil unions and grant same-sex couples some legal rights and benefits is pending in the Seimas. Lithuania is the only Baltic state to not recognise same-sex couples in any form. Additionally, the Constitution of Lithuania explicitly prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriages.
In 2011, the Constitutional Court of Lithuania ruled that the family does not derive exclusively from marriage, opening the possibility for partnerships or other forms of legal recognition to be introduced to same-sex couples. [1] On 25 March 2015, nine MPs from the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Movement introduced a civil partnership bill to the Seimas. [2] [3] Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius expressed his opposition to the bill. [4] On 6 May 2015, the Committee on Legal Affairs announced that they could find no constitutional barriers to same-sex civil partnerships. [5] The bill was not voted on and died at the end of the legislative session in November 2016. A similar bill was introduced by deputies from the Liberal Movement on 30 May 2017. [6] The bill was rejected at first reading in a 29–59 vote with 20 abstentions on 15 June 2017. [7] [8]
In 2017, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Homeland Union proposed a bill to establish "cohabitation agreements" (Lithuanian : susitarimo dėl bendro gyvenimo) as an alternative to civil partnerships. The proposed legislation would guarantee cohabitants hospital visitation rights and the right to inherit a late partner's property. Povilas Urbšys, one of the authors of the proposal, said: "Our registered project will effectively contribute to legal clarity, regulate property rights and some property unrelated relations between people living together and will also help to avoid negative consequences when the cohabitation is dissolved." [9] The proposal, which was criticised by LGBT groups, explicitly stipulated that the cohabitants entering the agreement did not intend to create family relations. The proposal was preliminarily approved by the Seimas with 46 votes for, 17 votes against and 6 abstentions on 31 May 2017, and sent to further consideration. [10] [11] On 25 October 2017, the Lithuanian Government announced its support for the bill, [12] but it stalled and was not voted on before the end of the legislative session.
On 14 February 2018, appearing at a demonstration in Vilnius, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis called on the Seimas to pass a same-sex partnership law. [13] Of the eight candidates running in the 2019 presidential election, five expressed support for registered partnerships, namely Vytenis Andriukaitis, Arvydas Juozaitis, Valentinas Mazuronis, Ingrida Šimonytė and winner Gitanas Nausėda. The other three candidates, Mindaugas Puidokas, Saulius Skvernelis and Naglis Puteikis, expressed support for limited legal rights such as inheritance and property rights, among others. [1]
In December 2020, MP Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius from the Freedom Party said that the government would submit a civil partnership bill to Parliament in March 2021. The bill's introduction was a condition for creating the ruling coalition formed following the 2020 parliamentary election. [14] In May 2021, an estimated 10,000 people demonstrated in Vilnius to oppose the partnership legislation. [15] On 25 May 2021, the civil partnership bill was defeated at first reading, receiving 63 votes in favour out of the 65 required. Raskevičius said the bill would be brought back to Parliament in an amended form during the autumn session. [16]
Legislation creating civil unions was drafted by a group of MPs and introduced to Parliament in May 2022. The proposal was a compromise after the more expansive civil partnership bill was defeated in 2021. [17] On 26 May 2022, the draft bill passed its first reading in the Seimas by 70 votes in favour, 49 votes against and 6 abstentions. On the same day, an alternative draft amendment to the Civil Code aiming to "regulate the recognition of a person's right to close relations" also passed its first reading, with 70 votes in favour, 23 votes against and 30 abstentions. [18] [19] Actress Elžbieta Latanaitė said in response, "My feelings are mixed after the vote. On the one hand, the parliament took a step towards Europe, towards Western values. But on the other hand, there's nothing joyous that even such a restrained bill cannot pass without a big fight, with powerful homophobes hurling insults at citizens who want equal rights". [20] President Gitanas Nausėda declined to take an official position on the bills, but in a September 2023 interview said that efforts to allow same-sex unions were "a sign of a civilized state". [21]
| Party | Voted for | Voted against | Abstained | Absent (Did not vote) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Homeland Union | 38
| 7
| – | 5
|
| Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union | – | 16
| 1
| 3
|
| Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" | 5
| 8
| 2
| |
| G Liberals' Movement | 9
| 1
| – | 3
|
| Social Democratic Party | 2
| 1
| 2
| |
| G Freedom Party | 11
| – | – | – |
| Labour Party | – | 7
| 1
| 1
|
| Lithuanian Regions Political Group [a] | – | 8
| – | |
| Independent | – | – | – | |
| Total | 70 | 49 | 6 | 16 |
| 49.6% | 34.8% | 4.3% | 11.3% |
In September 2022, the Committee on Legal Affairs approved the civil union bill 6–1 and recommended the Seimas to pass it and reject the alternative "close connection agreement" bill. [23] The civil union bill passed its second reading on 23 May 2023 by a vote of 60–52 with 3 abstentions. [23] The legislation would establish civil unions (Lithuanian : civilinė sąjunga, [24] pronounced [tsʲɪˈvʲɪlʲɪnʲeːˈsâːjʊŋgɐ] ) offering some of the rights and benefits of marriage, including joint property ownership and the ability to make medical decisions for a partner, while not allowing for joint adoption. Some lawmakers expressed doubts that the bill would receive a third reading before the May 2024 presidential election. [25] [26] In June 2024, the Freedom Party announced it would block the government's candidate for European Commissioner until it agrees to pass the civil union bill. [27] In the last few days of the legislative session in July 2024, the parties came to an agreement on the civil union bill and placed it on the agenda for a vote on the final day of the session. Although the Social Democrats had campaigned on supporting civil unions, they announced they would boycott the final reading, meaning the bill would be unable to pass without their votes. On 25 July, the government voluntarily pulled the bill from the schedule rather than allowing it to fail, [28] which will allow the bill to be brought back by a new parliament following the October parliamentary election rather than starting the process over again. [29] [30] In November, the Dawn of Nemunas party expressed its opposition to allowing the draft partnership bill to be part of the new coalition's governing programme. [31]
In April 2023, the Vilnius District Court rejected the request of a same-sex couple to enter into a civil partnership, ruling that Lithuania lacked a partnership law and that this was a matter for the Parliament to deal with. [32]
Same-sex marriage is not legal in Lithuania, as the Civil Code defines marriage as a "voluntary agreement between a man and a woman". Moreover, an additional article in the Civil Code explicitly bans same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, a drive to amend the Constitution of Lithuania to ban same-sex marriages was reportedly under way in December 2005 by a social conservative member of the Seimas who had started collecting signatures. [33] Julius Sabatauskas, the chairman of the Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs, however, denounced the plan as unnecessary as "the Constitution already bans same-sex marriage". Article 38 of the Constitution states: "Marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman." [b]
In April 2023, three same-sex couples filed a lawsuit challenging the government's refusal to establish civil partnerships and its refusal to recognise same-sex marriages validly performed abroad. "For a long time, it has been misinterpreted that the Lithuanian Constitution prohibits same-sex marriages, but this is a myth that we will try to dispel in court. Especially since more than half of EU member countries have already legalized same-sex marriages," said a lawyer representing the couples. [36] The couples also cited the European Court of Human Rights' January 2023 ruling in Fedotova and Others v. Russia that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees a right to private and family life, places a positive obligation on all member states of the Council of Europe to recognize same-sex partnerships. [37] On 28 July 2023, a court in Vilnius dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Article 38 of the Constitution "is clear and specific, and does not give rise to any presumption that it can be interpreted as conferring the right to marry irrespective of the sex of the persons concerned". The couples announced their intention to appeal the decision. [32]
On 5 June 2018, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that European Union (EU) member states must recognise the freedom of movement and residency rights of same-sex spouses, provided one partner is an EU citizen. [38] [39] [40] The court ruled that EU member states may choose whether or not to allow same-sex marriage, but they cannot obstruct the freedom of residence of an EU citizen and their spouse. In addition, the court ruled that the term "spouse" is gender-neutral and does not necessarily imply a person of the opposite sex. [41] [42] On 11 January 2019, the Lithuanian Supreme Court ruled that the government must grant residency permits to the same-sex spouses of EU citizens in compliance with the ECJ ruling. [43] [44]
The Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage and does not allow its priests to officiate at such marriages. In December 2023, the Holy See published Fiducia supplicans , a declaration allowing Catholic priests to bless couples who are not considered to be married according to church teaching, including the blessing of same-sex couples. [45] Archbishop of Vilnius Gintaras Grušas released a statement on 22 December that "[t]he declaration encourages believers to realize that the Church does not seek to alienate, but to help those who seek God's help and desire to open up to Him, to better understand His plan of love and truth." [46]
According to the 2015 Eurobarometer, 24% of Lithuanians supported same-sex marriage, the fourth lowest among EU member states alongside Slovakia and significantly lower than the EU average of 61%. [47] The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 30% of Lithuanians thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, while 63% were against. [48]
A November 2022 opinion poll conducted by the Delfi news website showed that one in two Lithuanians supported civil unions for same-sex couples, and 70% supported civil unions for opposite-sex couples. [49]
A GLOBSEC survey conducted in March 2023 showed that 22% of Lithuanians supported same-sex marriage, while 60% were opposed. [50] The 2023 Eurobarometer found that 39% of Lithuanians thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe (an increase of 15% compared to the 2015 Eurobarometer), while 55% were opposed. The survey also found that 42% of respondents thought that "there is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex", while 53% disagreed. [51]
The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union is a green-conservative and agrarian political party in Lithuania led by Ramūnas Karbauskis. The party is considered one of the main representatives of the left wing of Lithuanian politics. Lithuanian journalist Virgis Valentinavičius described the party as "the mixture of the extreme left in economic matters and the extreme right in some social issues, all spiced up with an anti-establishment rhetoric of radical change".
Romania does not allow same-sex marriage or civil unions. Registered partnerships have been debated in the Parliament of Romania several times since 2008, though no bill on the matter has successfully passed. In May 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Romania was violating the European Convention on Human Rights by not recognizing same-sex unions. The government appealed the decision to the Grand Chamber in August 2023, but this appeal was rejected on 25 September 2023. Romania is now legally obliged to provide legal recognition to same-sex couples, and may risk financial sanctions from the Council of Europe if it fails to change the law.
Latvia has recognised civil unions since 1 July 2024. On 9 November 2023, the Saeima passed legislation establishing same-sex civil unions conferring similar rights and obligations as marriage with the exception of adoption and inheritance rights. The bill was signed into law by President Edgars Rinkēvičs in January 2024, and took effect on 1 July 2024. This followed a ruling from the Constitutional Court of Latvia on 12 November 2020 that the Latvian Constitution entitles same-sex couples to receive the same benefits and protections afforded by Latvian law to married opposite-sex couples, and gave the Saeima until 1 June 2022 to enact a law protecting same-sex couples. In December 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that should the Saeima fail to pass civil union legislation before the 1 June 2022 deadline, same-sex couples may apply to a court to have their relationship recognized. The Saeima failed to meet this deadline, and the first same-sex union was recognized by the Administrative District Court on 30 May 2022.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights in Latvia have expanded substantially in recent years, although LGBT people still face various challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female types of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Latvia, but households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Since May 2022, same-sex couples have been recognized as "family" by the Administrative District Court, which gives them some of the legal protections available to married (opposite-sex) couples; as of 2023 November, around 40 couples have been registered via this procedure. In November 2023 registered partnerships were codified into law. These partnerships are available to both same and different sex couples - since July 1, 2024 the implemented registered partnership law has the similar rights and obligations as married couples - with the exception of the title of marriage, and adoption or inheritance rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Lithuania have evolved rapidly over the years, although LGBT people still face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female expressions of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Lithuania, but neither civil same-sex partnership nor same-sex marriages are available, meaning that there is no legal recognition of same-sex couples - Lithuania is the only Baltic country to not recognize any same-sex unions.
Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 10 October 2004, with a second round on 24 October 2004 in the constituencies where no candidate won a majority in the first round of voting. All 141 seats in the Seimas were up for election; 71 in single-seat constituencies elected by majority vote and the remaining 70 in a nationwide constituency based on proportional representation.
Hungary has recognized registered partnerships since 1 July 2009, offering same-sex couples nearly all the rights and benefits of marriage. Unregistered cohabitation for same-sex couples was recognised and placed on equal footing with the unregistered cohabitation of different-sex couples in 1996. However, same-sex marriage is prohibited by the 2011 Constitution of Hungary, which took effect in January 2012.
Debate has occurred throughout Europe over proposals to legalise same-sex marriage as well as same-sex civil unions. Currently 33 of the 50 countries and the 8 dependent territories in Europe recognise some type of same-sex union, among them most members of the European Union (24/27). Nearly 43% of the European population lives in jurisdictions where same-sex marriage is legal.
Bulgaria does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. Though these issues have been discussed frequently over the past few years, no law on the matter has passed the National Assembly. In September 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the government to establish a legal framework recognizing same-sex unions.
Slovakia does not recognise same-sex marriage or civil unions. However, there is some limited legal recognition for unregistered cohabiting same-sex couples, notably with regard to inheritance rights. The Constitution of Slovakia has limited marriage to opposite-sex couples since 2014, and bills to allow same-sex civil partnerships have been introduced several times, most recently in 2023, but all have been rejected.
The People and Justice Union is a right-wing populist political party in Lithuania. It is currently not represented in the Seimas. The chairman of the party is Petras Gražulis. Gražulis was impeached from the Lithuanian parliament in late 2023 and is not allowed, until 2033, to participate in any national elections.
Freedom and Justice (Lithuanian: Laisvė ir Teisingumas, PLT), known until 6 June 2020 as the Lithuanian Freedom Union (Liberals) (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Laisvės Sąjunga (Liberalai)), is a conservative-liberal political party in Lithuania. It holds soft eurosceptic views.
Remigijus Žemaitaitis is a Lithuanian right-wing politician and member of the Seimas, known for his antisemitic statements. He is the founder and leader of the political party Dawn of Nemunas.
Saulius Skvernelis is a Lithuanian politician who served as prime minister of Lithuania between 2016 and 2020. He had previously served as police commissioner, and was Minister of the Interior from 2014 to 2016. Though he was an independent politician, he was backed by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and was a member of its parliamentary group until 2022, as a result of which he became the first head of government in European history primarily backed by a green party.
The 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election was held on 13 and 27 October 2024 to elect the 141 members of the Seimas. Parliament members were elected in 71 single-member constituencies using the two-round system, and the remaining 70 in a single nationwide constituency using proportional representation. The first round was held on 13 October and the second round on 27 October.
Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius is a Lithuanian liberal politician, Member of the Seimas, and LGBT+ rights activist. Raskevičius holds degrees in political science and law. He is the 2nd openly homosexual member of the Seimas after the late Rokas Žilinskas.
The Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" is a centre-left and green Lithuanian political party founded on 29 January 2022 by Saulius Skvernelis, former Prime Minister of Lithuania. The party is moderately socially conservative.
The Union of the Fighters for Lithuania, previously known as the Union for the President of Lithuania was a minor political party in Lithuania of an eclectic far-right political orientation which was founded in 2011. It replaced the Lithuanian Liberty Union. It did not achieve any notable electoral results and was liquidated by the Central Electoral Commission in 2022 for failing to provide a list of members.
Dainius Žalimas is a Lithuanian lawyer, jurist and politician who served as the chairman of the Constitutional Court of Lithuania from 2014 to 2021. He was the candidate of the Freedom Party in the 2024 Lithuanian presidential election. In the 2024 European Parliament election he won a seat for the Freedom Party.
Tomas Tomilinas is a Lithuanian trade unionist and politician of Polish origin. He was elected to the Seimas with the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union in 2016, but was expelled from the party in 2021 and joined the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania".
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