EU Top Court Rules Member States Must Allow Legal Gender Recognition

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has today delivered one of the most significant rulings for trans rights in the history of the bloc, finding that EU member states are legally obliged to provide functioning legal gender recognition (LGR) procedures for their nationals who have exercised the right to move and reside freely within the EU. The judgment in case C-43/24 Shipova sets a clear precedent that will reverberate across the Union and puts three member states — Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia — on direct notice that their current laws are incompatible with EU obligations.