On 7 October, Romania is expected to hold a referendum to change the definition of family in the constitution. The referendum could result in making it impossible to protect same-sex unions in the future. Currently, same-sex couples do not have access to civil partnerships, nor marriage, in Romania.
Amnesty International is concerned that the change could lead to a breach of international human rights standards and increase homophobic discrimination. To assist the Romanian Constitutional Court to examine the compatibility of the proposed change with international human rights obligations, Amnesty International, together with ECSOL (European Commission on Sexual Orientation Law) and ILGA-EUROPE (European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association), made legal submissions on 14 September.
Index Number: EUR 39/9095/2018