Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok rejects EU court ruling on foreign same‑sex marriages

Slovakia same‑sex marriage EU Court of Justice Matúš Šutaj Eštok constitutional definition

The Slovak government announced that it will not register marriages between same‑sex couples that were concluded abroad. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok said the Slovak Constitution defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman and that any change can only come through a constitutional amendment, not through administrative procedures. He cited the Constitution, the Family Act and obligations arising from EU law, but maintained that the ministry cannot record a foreign same‑sex marriage as a Slovak marriage. This stance directly conflicts with the European Court of Justice ruling of November 2025, which obliges EU member states to recognise such unions performed in another member state. The couple Metod Spacek and Ivan Novotny, whose Austrian marriage was denied registration, said they will take legal action, accusing Prime Minister Robert Fico of ordering the “illegal procedure”. General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka has issued two warnings to the ministry for failing to decide on the applications within the legal deadline.

Entities

Constitution of Slovakia · European Court of Justice · Ivan Novotny · Maroš Žilinka · Matej Neumann · Matúš Šutaj Eštok · Metod Spacek · Ministry of Interior of Slovakia · Robert Fico

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] In September, the Slovak parliament, by constitutional majority, confirmed that Slovakia decides on cultural‑ethical issues itself. standard.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Slovak Constitution defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry of Interior cannot register same‑sex marriages performed abroad in the Slovak marriage register. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry stated it cannot create a new legal status or replace decisions of the National Council. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] Minister of Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok said the ministry is bound by the constitution and cannot act contrary to it. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry cited the Constitution, the Family Act, the Registry Act and EU law obligations as the legal basis for its decision. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Ministry will inform applicants that their same‑sex marriage cannot be recorded in the Slovak registry. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka issued two formal warnings to the Ministry for failing to process same‑sex marriage registration requests within the legal deadline. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 2 SOURCES] Spokesperson Matej Neumann clarified the legal limits of the ministry's authority. www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] Applications for same‑sex marriages performed in Austria were pending and not processed within the legal deadline. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka issued two warnings to the ministry for inaction on same‑sex marriage registration requests. standard.sk · www.pravda.sk
[● 3 SOURCES] The ministry's decision is based on the Constitution, the Family Act, the Registry Act and EU law obligations. www.pravda.sk · standard.sk