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The EU has threatened Hungarian Viktor Orban in a lawsuit before the European Court of Justice that, if it does not abandon LGBT + legislation, the commission has ruled it discriminatory.
Several diplomats have reported that Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, among other member states, will address allegations against the Hungarian prime minister at an EU summit over a bill banning homosexuality or gender change in schools under 18.
The clash has come after escalating tensions between EU countries and the nationalist government in Budapest, which has argued that issues of sexual orientation should not be taught in schools.
European Commission President Ursula von der Ley said the bill, which calls for the final approval of the Hungarian president, violates fundamental rights.
“This bill clearly discriminates against people based on their sexual orientation,” he said Wednesday. “It goes against the core values of the European Union: human dignity, equality and respect for human rights.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday said the law was “wrong.”
Brussels and many EU capitals have stepped up their condemnation of Orban’s right-wing government after years of tensions with Budapest over the rule of law. An EU diplomat said the LGBT + bill reflected “one of the worst moments” in EU-Hungary relations.
In a letter to the Justice Minister in Budapest on Wednesday, EU Commissioners Didier Reynders and Thierry Breton said Brussels “will not hesitate to take measures in line with its powers under the Treaty” if the bill is finally approved.
The EU has limited powers to call for amendments to draft laws, but it can sue member states that violate ECB treaties. The Commission’s letter contains a set of laws that violate Hungarian LGBT + legislation, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, audiovisual and media regulations and the rules governing the provision of services in the single market.
The commission said the bill says that homosexuality and transgender issues are “on the same level as pornography and are capable of having a negative impact on the physical and moral development of minors.”
The LGBT + bill in Budapest has also caused tensions with the Uefa European football governing body, which refused to allow Munich’s Allianz Arena to lighten the stadium with rainbow colors on Wednesday for the 2020 Euro Cup match between Hungary and Germany. Uefa said the movement is a “political context” in Hungary and has violated a ban on displaying political symbols. Some German football fans, however, appeared in the game wearing rainbow colors. They drew 2-2, seeing Hungary finish in last place for their team and go home.
The Hungarian government has argued that the bill is “designed to protect the rights of children, guarantee the rights of parents and not apply to the sexual orientation rights of people over the age of 18, so it does not contain any discriminatory elements.”
“The statement by the chairman of the committee is embarrassing because it publishes a biased political opinion without any prior impartial investigation,” the Fidesz government statement said.
A top EU diplomat said the countries would use Thursday’s summit to implement a bill to convince Orban. “In the past, the Orban government has repealed the legislation. Let’s hope this is done quickly [LGBT+ bill] it is above what we can accept. “
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