A couple from Romania submitted a request for a mortgage from a Romanian bank. The bank refused the request on the basis that the couple is not considered married, and the specific mortgage that they requested is applicable for married couples only.
The European Court of Human Rights held that the couple should be recognized as a married couple and receive the mortgage. In cases that a same sex couple is not recognized as a married couple by governmental organizations of a specific state, discrimination is formed towards the couple in comparison of a heterosexual couple and this discrimination is against the rules of the European Union. This discrimination, also in financial cases such as recognition of the couple for tax purposes or for loans and mortgages, creates a situation that citizens of different citizenships in the Union receive different financial terms. In this case, since the couple is Romanian and is not able to receive a mortgage because they are not considered married, a couple of a different European citizenships living in a different European Member State are allowed to receive a mortgage or tax recognition and thus this is discrimination and the couple should be recognized as married.