Lithuania’s justice ministry to challenge fines for failing to implement same-sex partnerships

Lithuania’s justice ministry will appeal a court decision imposing daily fines for its failure to implement same-sex partnership registration, Minister Rita Tamašunienė announced on Tuesday, LRT reports.

The ministry faces legal action from 14 same-sex couples after bailiffs, acting on their behalf, requested courts to impose financial penalties for each day the 2023 Constitutional Court ruling remains unenforced. A general jurisdiction court has already ordered the ministry to pay €10 per day until compliance.

Tamašunienė stated the ministry would challenge the decision, arguing implementation is currently impossible. “We will likely appeal this ruling, requesting clarification on how to execute it,” she told reporters before a cabinet meeting. The ministry cited legal, technical, and financial barriers, concluding that partnership registration cannot proceed under existing conditions.

The minister emphasised that conflicting court rulings—some addressed to the ministry, others to the state, the Centre of Registers, or Civil Registry offices—highlight the need for clearer legislation. “The ministry cannot assume powers that, under Lithuania’s separation of powers, belong to the Seimas [parliament],” she said.

The Laisvės (Freedom) Party accused the ministry of reversing its earlier plan to draft implementation procedures by April 2025 following Tamašunienė’s appointment. The ministry has appealed four higher-court decisions ordering same-sex partnership registration.

In April 2023, the Constitutional Court ruled that Lithuania’s failure to legalise same-sex partnerships violates the constitution and declared the Civil Code’s heterosexual-only partnership definition unconstitutional. While the code permits cohabitation agreements, a dedicated partnership law—blocked for over 20 years—remains unresolved. The court deemed the status quo “intolerable and discriminatory.”