On Wednesday 27 November, the European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, presented a report on the rights of LGBTQI people in the European Union to MEPs at the plenary session in Strasbourg. While some progress has been made, there have been worrying setbacks in several Member States, reinforcing the urgency for concerted action.
Ms Dalli recalled that the Commission had put equality at the heart of its agenda five years ago, notably with the adoption of the first European LGBTQI rights strategy (see EUROPE 13160/19).
She explained that the aim of this strategy was to enable everyone to live, develop and lead their lives without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity or sexual characteristics.
However, the Commissioner noted a worrying rise in hate speech and hate crimes against LGBTQI people. In fact, according to a report published last May by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (https://aeur.eu/f/eiu ), more than 55% of respondents report having been victims of hate harassment, a figure that has risen by 18% since 2019.
Ms Dalli recalled that the Commission had proposed in 2021 to include hate speech and hate crimes in the list of European crimes, an initiative that is still blocked due to a lack of unanimity among the Member States.
Several MEPs denounced the restrictions imposed in certain Member States.
Ana Catarina Mendes (S&D, Portuguese) condemned the systematic violations of LGBTQI rights in Hungary and Bulgaria, describing them as unacceptable in the 21st century. In Hungary, a 2021 law bans the “promotion” of LGBTQI content to minors, while in Bulgaria, a law passed last August bans LGBTQI “propaganda” in schools (see EUROPE 13467/10).
Ms Mendes also urged the Council to unblock the 2008 anti-discrimination directive (see EUROPE 13436/24), which is still awaiting adoption.
Abir Al-Sahlani (Renew Europe, Swedish) criticised Hungary’s laws targeting LGBTQI people, which she described as discriminatory measures hidden under the pretext of protecting children.
On the far right, some MEPs defended a conservative position. András László (PfE, Hungarian) argued that family policy issues were a national competence, rejecting any interference from the EU. Paolo Inselvini (ECR, Italian) criticised “gender ideology” and called for a universal ban on surrogate motherhood.
On the other side of the political spectrum, MEPs called for the reinforcement of rights to counter these positions. Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/EFA, Dutch) called for every child to be guaranteed an environment in which he or she can develop to the full, whatever their identity.
Estrella Galán (The Left, Spanish) denounced the “reactionary forces in Europe” which, she said, were seeking to establish “LGBTQI-free zones”.
She called for European funding to be made conditional on respect for fundamental rights, and called for a Europe “free of hatred and homophobia”.
In the face of these divisions, Helena Dalli reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to defending equality and fundamental rights. She also said that she had asked the Bulgarian minister for details of the recent anti-LGBTQI law. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)