Lithuania - April 2025

On 17 April, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Civil Code’s definition of domestic partnership—limited to unions between a man and a woman—is unconstitutional. It found the provision conflicts with the constitutional principles of the protection of dignity, the protection of private life, and equality and non-discrimination. The Court also noted that the lack of legislation recognizing civil partnerships for unmarried cohabiting couples created legal uncertainty and eroded public trust in the state. The Court ruled that Parliament must adopt legislation regulating the procedure for the registration of civil partnerships but did not set a deadline. A civil union bill which would provide certain legal protections to same-sex couples (including inheritance rights and shared property), passed two readings in parliament in 2023 but was not put to a final vote due to a lack of support. The case was initiated by the former centre-right government. 

Sources: ConstitutionNet, Baltic Times, LRT, Constitutional Court, WIPO