Recognition of same-sex unions in Lithuania

Legal status of same-sex unions
Marriage
Performed

Argentina
Australia
Austria*
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Costa Rica+
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Iceland
Ireland
Luxembourg
Malta
Mexico:
· 12 states & CDMX
Netherlands1
New Zealand2
Norway
Portugal
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan+
United Kingdom3
United States4
Uruguay

Recognized
  1. Not performed in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten
  2. Neither performed nor recognized in Niue, Tokelau or the Cook Islands
  3. Neither performed nor recognized in Northern Ireland, the dependency of Sark or six of the fourteen overseas territories
  4. Neither performed nor recognized in American Samoa or many tribal jurisdictions with the exception of federal recognition benefits
  5. When performed in Mexican states that have legalized same-sex marriage
  6. When performed in the Netherlands proper
  7. If performed before 1 June 2018
  8. Registration schemes open in all jurisdictions except Hualien County, Penghu County, Taitung County and Yunlin County

* Not yet in effect
+ Automatic deadline set by judicial body for same-sex marriage to become legal

LGBT portal

Lithuania does not recognise same-sex marriages or civil partnerships. A bill to grant unmarried couples (including same-sex couples) some limited rights is pending in the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas).

Civil partnerships

Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in Europe
  Marriage¹
  Foreign marriages recognized¹
  Other type of partnership¹
  Unregistered cohabitation¹
  Unrecognized
  Constitution limits marriage to opposite-sex couples

¹ May include recent laws or court decisions which have created legal recognition of same-sex relationships, but which have not entered into effect yet.

On 25 March 2015, 9 members of the Seimas (Parliament) from the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Movement introduced a partnership bill.[1][2] Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democratic Party Algirdas Butkevičius expressed his opposition to the bill.[3] On 6 May 2015, the Committee on Legal Affairs announced that they could find no constitutional barriers to same-sex civil partnerships in the Baltic State.[4] The bill was not voted upon and died at the end of Parliament's term in November 2016. A similar bill was introduced by deputies from the Liberal Movement on 30 May 2017.[5] The bill was rejected in its first reading in a 29-59 vote with 20 abstentions, on 15 June 2017.[6][7]

Cohabitation agreements

In 2017, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Homeland Union proposed a bill to establish "cohabitation agreements" 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."[8] The proposal, which was criticised by LGBT groups, explicitly stipulates that the cohabitants entering the agreement do 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.[9][10] On 25 October 2017, the Lithuanian Government announced its support for the bill.[11]

On 14 February 2018, appearing at an LGBT rally in Vilnius, Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis called on the Seimas to recognise same-sex partnerships.[12]

Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriages are not legal in Lithuania, with the Civil Code defining marriage as a voluntary agreement between a man and a woman. Moreover, there is an additional article in the Civil Code that explicitly bans same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, a drive to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriages was reportedly under way in December 2005 by a conservative member of the Parliament, who had started collecting signatures for such an amendment.[13] Julius Sabatauskas, chairman of the Parliament's Legal Committee, however, denounced the plan and said it was unneeded. Some MPs say Lithuania's Constitution already bans same-sex marriage. The Constitution states: "Marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman." The actual effect of this statement is unknown and it has yet to be challenged in court.

2018 European Court of Justice ruling

On 5 June 2018, the European Court of Justice ruled that all EU countries that do not recognise same-sex marriages (including Lithuania) must legally recognise such marriages performed in EU countries where they are legal, and grant same-sex couples in which one partner is an EU citizen full residency rights.[14][15][16] 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. Furthermore, the Court ruled that the term "spouse" is gender-neutral, and that it does not necessarily imply a person of the opposite sex.[17][18]

Public opinion

According to the 2015 Eurobarometer, 24% of Lithuanians supported same-sex marriage, the fourth lowest among EU member states alongside Slovakia. EU-wide support was 61%.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 9 MPs register bill on same-sex partnership
  2. ↑ Civilinio kodekso 3.1, 3.3, 3.16, 3.140, 3.150, 3.194, 3.229, 3.230, 3.231, 3.234, 3.235 straipsnių ir III knygos III dalies ir VI skyriaus pavadinimų pakeitimo, Kodekso papildymo 3.230(1) ir 3.230(2) straipsniais, bei 3.232 ir 3.233 straipsnių pripažinimo netekusiais galios
  3. ↑ PM against legalisation of same-sex partnerships
  4. ↑ Lithuanian parliament committee: ‘constitution no barrier to gay civil partnerships’
  5. ↑ Civilinio kodekso 2.18, 2.19, 3.3, 3.16, 3.140, 3.141, 3.143, 3.146, 3.147, 3.150, 3.155 straipsnių, Kodekso Trečiosios knygos VI dalies XV skyriaus ir 5.13, 6.588, 6.590, 6.744 straipsnių pakeitimo įstatymo projektas
  6. ↑ (in Lithuanian) Seime žlugo bandymas įteisinti vyro ir moters bei homoseksualų partnerystę
  7. ↑ Lithuania tries, but fails to recognize same-sex couples
  8. ↑ Lithuanian Peasant and Green Party Propose “Cohabitation Agreements” Instead of Partnerships
  9. ↑ Seimas Approves the Proposal on “Cohabitation Agreements” as Alternative to Partnership Law
  10. ↑ (in Lithuanian) Civilinio kodekso 6.589, 6.969, 6.971, 6.973, 6.978 straipsnių pakeitimo įstatymo projektas
  11. ↑ (in Lithuanian) DĖL LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS CIVILINIO KODEKSO 6.589, 6.969, 6.971, 6.973, 6.978 STRAIPSNIŲ PAKEITIMO ĮSTATYMO PROJEKTO NR. XIIIP-750 IR LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS PAVELDIMO TURTO MOKESČIO ĮSTATYMO NR. IX-1239 7 STRAIPSNIO PAKEITIMO ĮSTATYMO PROJEKTO NR. XIIIP-751
  12. ↑ Lithuanian Prime Minister Wants Same-Sex Partnerships Law
  13. ↑ "Lithuania could follow in Latvia’s footsteps on banning gay marriage" The Baltic Times, December 24, 2005
  14. ↑ EU states must recognize foreign same-sex marriages: court, Reuters, 5 June 2018
  15. ↑ Rights for same-sex married couples to move around the EU confirmed in landmark ruling, Yahoo News, 6 June 2018
  16. ↑ Alina Tryfonidou (7 June 2018). "Rights for same-sex married couples to move around the EU confirmed in landmark ruling". The Conversation.
  17. ↑ "Same-sex spouses have equal residency rights". BBC News. 6 June 2018.
  18. ↑ JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Grand Chamber) 5 June 2018
  19. ↑ DISCRIMINATION IN THE EU IN 2015
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