The European Parliament condemned a Hungarian law that prohibits homosexuals from appearing in educational materials or prime-time television shows, “clearly violating” its principle of equality.
In a resolution passed by an absolute majority vote in Strasbourg on Thursday, members of the European Parliament “in the strongest terms” condemned the Hungarian law as “clearly contrary to the values, principles and laws of the European Union” and urged the European Commission to activate Fast-track legal cases against Victor Orban’s government.
Activist fear legal This may lead to an increase in Hungary’s physical and verbal attacks on homosexuals.
EU leaders surround Orban In what was described as an emotional debate during the EU summit last month, the European Commission President Ursula von der Lein said the law was a “shame”.
“This law equates homosexuality and gender redistribution with pornography,” Von der Lein told a member of the European Parliament on Wednesday. “This law uses the protection of children as an excuse, and it uses the protection of children as an excuse, which severely discriminates against them because of their sexual orientation. This law is shameful.”
She has pledged to use the powers of the European Union’s executive branch to protect the rights of citizens and has sent an official letter to the Orban government.
Although non-binding, the resolution increased pressure on von der Lein to take Hungary To the European Court of Justice. Members of the European Parliament believe that Hungarian law violates the rights of non-discrimination and freedom of speech, as well as the EU’s audiovisual media service directives, pan-European television and streaming media service rules.
A total of 459 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the resolution, 147 opposed and 58 abstained.
Members of the European Parliament also stated that with increasing calls for Brussels to close the funding pipeline to Budapest, the Hungarian authorities cannot be trusted to manage EU funds in a “non-discriminatory manner”.
The European Commission is expected to postpone the approval of a 7.2 billion euro recovery plan from the new crown virus in Hungary, depending on further demands to solve the corruption problem. The July 12 deadline is imminent, prompting calls for Brussels to order Hungary to rewrite its plans to address well-documented concerns about politicized courts and weak anti-corruption controls. But the committee may not meet these requirements.
“The current timeline is between 16 [and] “On July 19,” said Daniel Freund, a member of the Budget Control Committee and a member of the German Ministry of Environmental Protection. “They will approve the Hungarian plan. If all goes well, they will try to put some additional anti-corruption reforms into the plan somewhere, but they will not solve any problems immediately. “
He continued: “My interpretation is that these commissions are in kimchi.” He said that the recovery fund “is not an ideal mechanism for countries to carry out structural reforms and rebuild the rule of law and judicial systems”, adding that it is relatively time-consuming. The reforms in China are inconsistent with the urgency of economic rescue after the pandemic. “These are two contradictory things.”
An EU diplomat agreed with this analysis. The diplomat said the committee “may only be postponed for another week.” The person familiar with the matter said that although the Commission is “distressed” by Hungary’s judicial independence, officials believe that the rule of law preventing Hungary from obtaining EU recovery funds is “legally complicated and unstable.”
A spokesperson for the committee declined to confirm or deny the report of the delay. “Since the in-depth evaluation is ongoing, we will not provide any preliminary evaluation,” they said.
Orban, facing the 2022 election, launched a national poll last week to question every family’s economy, immigration, and the European Union through a series of questions full of stereotypes.meets the Previous exercise, The investigation and accompanying advertisements demonized George Soros, a Hungarian-born financier and philanthropist, linking him to “illegal immigrants”. One billboard that caused a new wave of anger among members of the European Parliament read: “George Soros is attacking again?” Another asked: “Did Brussels make you angry?”
The investigation sees LGBTQ law as a child protection measure, a subject that Orban reiterated in a rebellion letter to the European Union this week. Accused the EU leaders of “evok[ing] The long-lost colonial instinct” and the “disrespectful power declaration”, this letter firmly defended the law.
“We in Central Europe know how it feels when the state or dictatorship and the power monopoly it operates want to raise children instead of their parents,” it said. “We do not allow the Communists to do this, so we will not allow these self-styled apostles of freedom and democracy to educate children instead of Hungarian parents.”
