Suspension of funding in cases where the European budget is affected by national legislation that is contrary to EU values. MEPs called for this in a resolution provoked by new legislation in Hungary against the LGBTQI community.
LGBTQ is short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people.
On 15 June, the Hungarian Parliament voted almost unanimously (157 in favor, 1 against) in favor of rules that, under the guise of combating pedophilia, restrict freedom of speech and children’s rights by banning the inclusion of LGBTQI content in school curricula. materials or television programs for children under the age of 18. The new law came into force on July 8, 2021.
“The mother is a woman and the father is a man”
The European Parliament emphasizes that in Hungary, state-sponsored LGBTIC phobia and disinformation campaigns have become instruments of political censorship, and recent manifestations of these problems include amending the country’s Constitution to clarify that “the mother is a woman , and the father is a man “, and the de facto prohibition on legal recognition of the sex of transgender and intersex persons.
In this context, MEPs reaffirm their strong commitment to the protection of children’s rights, declaring that the promotion of tolerance, acceptance and diversity should serve as guiding principles to ensure that the best interests of the child are respected.
In a resolution adopted by 459 votes to 147, with 58 abstentions, the European Parliament identified Hungarian law as a clear violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Treaties and EU internal market law. .
Parliament emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident, but “rather another conscious and deliberate example of the gradual abolition of fundamental rights in Hungary”, and that human rights violations in the country are part of a broader political agenda for destruction of democracy and the rule of law, including freedom of the media, and should be seen as a systematic violation of EU values.
Hungary in Russia’s footsteps in discriminating against the LGBTQI community
MEPs call on the European Commission to launch an accelerated infringement procedure and to use all the instruments of the Court of Justice, such as interim measures and sanctions for non-compliance, if necessary. They also call on the Member States to refer the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union if the EC does not take action and to lodge an intergovernmental appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
In addition, the EP points to a number of problems in Hungary where the rule of law regulation should be triggered immediately in order to protect the EU budget, and is seriously concerned that the Hungarian recovery and sustainability plan may not in accordance with EU law.
The EP also calls on the Council and the Commission to unblock the Anti-Discrimination Directive and to follow up on Parliament’s initiative to establish a permanent EU mechanism for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.
Concerned that Hungarian legislation resembles Russia’s so-called LGBT propaganda law of 2013, MEPs are calling on the EC to investigate funding for campaigns against LGBTQI in Europe.
– .
