Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stated that “Romania is not ready” to uphold the rights of same-sex couples in line with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling, which took place in May of this year.
The ECHR ruled that the country, which decriminalised homosexuality in 2001, decades later than other parts of the European Union, had failed to enforce the rights of same-sex couples by refusing to recognise their relationships. The ruling could force policymakers in Romania to expand protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
Ciolacu said: “… Romanian society is not ready for a decision at the moment. It is not one of my priorities and … I don’t think Romania is ready.
“I am not a closed-minded person, I have friends in relationships with a man, I don’t have a problem with that, I am talking now from the point of view of a prime minister.”
Despite decriminalising homosexuality in 2001, same-sex marriage and civil partnerships are banned in Romania.
Results of a survey commissioned by LGBTQ+ rights group ACCEPT in 2021 show that 71% of Romanians believe legal recognition of civil marriage for same-sex couples would not have any impact on their lives, but only 43% are in favour of it.