Equal marriage rights and the European Courts

The legalisation of same-sex marriage has taken off globally in the last thirty years, especially in Europe; thirty-three countries around the world, nineteen of which are in Europe, have opened up civil marriage to same-sex couples. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) have also had their share of equal marriage rights cases before them to decide upon. This contribution discusses the role the two European courts have played in this field and how their case law has developed, in somewhat parallel stages, throughout the years.