Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal overturns plans to recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other EU member states, according to reports citing the court’s decision. The ruling rejects the approach of granting recognition for marriages between men and between women that were lawfully concluded abroad within the EU.
The decision is described as conflicting with an earlier ruling by the EU’s Court of Justice, which had set out obligations for member states to give legal recognition to same-sex marriages performed in other EU countries under EU law. By moving against that EU guidance, Poland’s court creates the potential for a broader legal dispute between Poland and EU institutions.
The reports characterize the outcome as setting up a clash over how EU free-movement and legal-recognition rules apply to same-sex couples, particularly where national courts resist or limit EU interpretations. The immediate legal effect is that Poland does not extend recognition to these marriages, even when they were performed in countries where they are legally valid.
