Two young women kiss as they take part in the annual Gay Pride parade near the Colosseum to protest against LGBT discrimination | epa Italy needs better LGBT laws, rights group says Court ruled that failure to recognize same-sex relationships is violation of human rights.

Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged Italian lawmakers to act on a ruling this week by the European Court of Human Rights and ensure the prompt introduction of laws to protect same-sex relationships.

The court ruled Tuesday that Italy’s failure to legally recognize same-sex relationships represented a violation of human rights.

“The court’s ruling should signal to Italian lawmakers that they need to stop stalling on protecting the rights of same sex-couples ... this could be the push they need to live up to their responsibilities,” Boris Dittrich, LGBT rights advocacy director at the human rights group, said.

Several Italian courts have ruled individually that same-sex couples are entitled to have their partnerships recognized. A civil union bill was submitted to parliament by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party last year, but has been stalled in the Italian senate where opposition lawmakers have proposed countless amendments.

The European Court case, brought by three homosexual couples, ruled that Italy’s position was a violation of Article 8 on the right to respect for private and family life, under the European Convention on Human Rights. The court found that Italy “did not only fail to provide for the core needs relevant to a couple in a stable committed relationship” and that a civil partnership would be “the most appropriate way for same-sex couples like the applicants to have their relationship legally recognized.”

The movement toward the legal recognition of same-sex couples has continued to develop rapidly in Europe since a 2010 case of Schalk and Kopf v. Austria, with Ireland legalizing gay marriage on May 23 2015, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling June 26 in the case of Obergefell et al. v. Ohio that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry in all states.

“The court leaves open the possibility that once a clear majority of Council of Europe countries recognize the right to marry without distinction as to sexual orientation, the European Convention, which is a living document with evolving standards, will require all member countries to grant same-sex couples access to marriage as a matter of human rights,” Dittrich said. “It is high time for the Italian legislature to deliver to protect the rights of millions of Italians who live in same-sex relationships.”