After repeatedly punching the table, the European Union (EU) is now going on the offensive. The European Commission announced on Thursday (July 15th) that it had launched infringement proceedings against Hungary over its law banning the “Promotion” homosexuality among minors, and against Poland for “Areas without LGBT ideology” decreed by certain local authorities.
The European executive, which denounces the discriminatory nature of these measures against LGBT + people, has, as expected, sent the two countries a letter of formal notice, the first step in a procedure which may lead to the referral of the Court of Justice of the EU and then to financial sanctions. Budapest and Warsaw have two months to respond.
“Equality and respect for dignity and human rights are fundamental values of the EU, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. The Commission will use all the instruments at its disposal to defend these values ”, she said in a press release.
” Shame “
Hungary passed a law on June 15 banning “Representation or promotion” homosexuality and sex change among minors. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called ” shame “ this law entered into force last week, but the hungarian government has rejected the criticisms and demands of the eu executive.
In Poland, around 100 local authorities have adopted a resolution since 2019 “Anti-LGBT ideology” or a “Charter of the rights of families”. They represent about a third of Polish territory and are located mainly in the south-east and east of the country, traditionally very Catholic areas.
These decisions had already led the Commission in July 2020 to deprive some of these municipalities of subsidies, as part of a twinning program. Ursula von der Leyen had castigated “Zones without humanity” who “Have no place” in the EU, during his first State of the Union address to the European Parliament in September 2020.