Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) are reluctant to pass legislation recognising same-sex marriage, despite the Strasbourg-based European Human Rights Court calling on Romania to urgently change its laws.
On Monday, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rejected the government’s appeal in the case of Buhuceanu and Ciobotaru and 20 other families against Romania, meaning that the Court’s ruling that Romania must change its laws is now final.
However, the court’s call for the government to take action may be resisted by a significant proportion of voters from the PSD and PNL, both partners in the ruling coalition.
The powerful Orthodox Church, which wields considerable societal influence, will also likely oppose the measures.
The European Court’s final ruling on the protection and legal recognition of LGBT families in Romania must be thoroughly analysed by the government and explained to society, Lucian Romașcanu, the leader of the PSD senators, said on Wednesday.
Romania is committed to fulfilling its obligations as an EU member state, Romașcanu said, but pointed to the significant cultural differences between the two countries, adding, “We also have something to say”, Agerpres reported.
PSD deputy Silviu Hurdezeu argued that Romania needs “a longer period to adapt to these shifts in societal attitudes, without causing social tensions”.
He also cautioned against ”forcibly introducing secondary issues that could generate strong opposition and undermine the interests of the LGBTQ community”.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has refrained from commenting on the issue, given the opposition within the PSD to same-sex marriage, which is at odds with the position of the European social democratic family.
Reactions to the Strasbourg court’s ruling came from the far right par AUR.
“No European court has the authority to rule on marriages in Romania”, AUR’s president, George Simion, said on Wednesday.
He also accused the last two justice ministers – Cătălin Predoiu and Alina Gorghiu, both liberals – of failing to defend Romania’s position before the European court.
Florin Buhuceanu and Victor Ciobotaru, one of the 21 families who took Romania to the ECHR, celebrated the failure of the state’s attempt to delay the recognition and legal protection of same-sex marriages further.
“There is no valid reason to justify continued legal discrimination in a democratic state”.
(Cătălina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
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