Request for a preliminary ruling from the Judecătoria Sectorului 6 București (Romania) lodged on 3 January 2023 – M.-A. A. v Direcția de Evidență a Persoanelor Cluj, Direcția pentru Evidența Persoanelor și Administrarea Bazelor de Date din Ministerul Afacerilor Interne, and Municipiul Cluj-Napoca, with the participation of Consiliul Național pentru Combaterea Discriminării and Asociația Accept

(Case C-4/23, Asociaţia Accept)

Language of the case: Romanian

Referring court

Judecătoria Sectorului 6 București

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: M.-A. A.

Defendants: Direcția de Evidență a Persoanelor Cluj, Direcția pentru Evidența Persoanelor și Administrarea Bazelor de Date din Ministerul Afacerilor Interne, and Municipiul Cluj-Napoca

Intervening parties: Consiliul Național pentru Combaterea Discriminării and Asociația Accept

Questions referred

Does the fact that Article 43(i) and Article 57 of Legea nr. 119/1996 privind actele de stare civilă (Law No 119/1996 on civil status documents) do not recognise changes in civil status made in another Member State by means of the procedure for legal recognition of gender to entries concerning gender and first name by a transgender man who has dual nationality (Romanian and of another Member State) and require a Romanian citizen to bring, from the outset, separate judicial proceedings in Romania against the local Public Service for Personal Records and Civil Status – proceedings which have been held to lack clarity and foreseeability by the European Court of Human Rights (X and Y v. Romania, nos. 2145/16 and 20607/16, 19 January 2021) and which may lead to a decision contrary to that taken by the other Member State – constitute an obstacle to the exercise of the right to European citizenship (Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) and/or the right of citizens of the Union to move and reside freely (Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 45 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) in conditions of dignity, equality before the law and non-discrimination (Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union; Article 18 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and Articles 1, 20 and 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union), respecting the right to private and family life (Article 7 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union)?

Does the departure of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union affect the answer to the above question, in particular where (i) the procedure for changing civil status was commenced before Brexit and was completed during the transition period, and (ii) the impact of Brexit means that the person cannot benefit from rights attached to European citizenship, including the right to free movement and residence, except on the basis of Romanian identity or travel documents in which that person appears with a female gender and first name, contrary to the gender identity that has already been legally recognised?

____________