“The Commission will use all the instruments at its disposal to defend equality and respect for dignity and human rights.
"The European executive on Thursday launched infringement proceedings against Hungary over its law prohibiting the" promotion "of homosexuality among minors, and against Poland for" areas without LGBT ideology ", decreed by some local communities.
The Commission, which denounces the discriminatory nature of these measures against LGBT people, explained that it had sent the two countries a letter of formal notice.
This is the first step in a procedure which can lead to referral to the Court of Justice of the EU, followed by financial sanctions.
Budapest and Warsaw have two months to respond.
Law of "shame"
Hungary passed a law on June 15 banning “the representation or promotion” of homosexuality and gender reassignment among minors.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called "shame" the law which entered into force last week, but the Hungarian government has rejected the criticisms and demands of the European executive.
In Poland, around a hundred local authorities have adopted since 2019 an “anti-LGBT ideology” resolution or a “family charter of rights”.
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 blasted “areas without humanity” which “have no place” in the EU, during her first State of the Union address to the European Parliament in September 2020.
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