Belgrade Pride calls for urgent adoption of same sex union law

“This issue has become even more pressing in light of the recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which affirms the obligation of all Council of Europe member states to provide legal recognition for same-sex unions concluded abroad,” said Belgrade Pride.

In its ruling in the case of “Formela and others v. Poland,” delivered in September 2024, the European Court of Human Rights determined that Poland had violated the right to family life for two same-sex couples who had married abroad.

These couples, who had married in the United Kingdom and Denmark, attempted to have their marriages registered in Poland, but local authorities rejected their requests.

The court ruled that the refusal to register the marriages left the couples without the ability to arrange basic aspects of their daily lives, and that the refusal to recognize marriages in any form, without an alternative legal framework, places same-sex couples in a legal void and fails to meet their need for recognition and protection.

The court concluded that this violates the right to respect for private and family life, guaranteed under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and that member states are obligated to ensure an adequate legal framework that recognizes and protects the basic needs of these communities.

“For this reason, Serbia, as a member state of the Council of Europe, must urgently adopt a law that will regulate the rights of same-sex unions,” Belgrade Pride emphasized.