The European Commission announced on Friday that it has taken legal action against Hungary over a law banning the dissemination of content on homosexuality to minors, deemed discriminatory against LGBT + people. “The Commission considers that the law violates the rules of the internal market, the fundamental rights of people (in particular LGBT+ people) as well as (…) the values of the EU”, indicates a press release.
This is a new step in the infringement procedure launched against this country, which may lead to a conviction by the Court of Justice of the EU, or even to financial penalties. Hungary passed a law in June 2021 prohibiting the “representation or promotion” of homosexuality and gender reassignment among minors, which had drawn indignant reactions, in particular from European leaders. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had spoken of “shame” and the European executive had launched the infringement procedure in July 2021.
The payment of European funds to Hungary suspended?
Nationalist and conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country is in the crosshairs of Brussels for its attacks on the rule of law, assures that the law is not homophobic and aims to “protect the rights of children”. The Commission is also taking the Court to court against the decision of the national regulator to deprive the independent radio station Klubradio of the airwaves, seen as a new blow to media pluralism. The executive had launched an infringement procedure on this subject in June 2021.
“In the EU, the largest democratic area in the world, no free radio should be deprived of airtime for non-objective reasons, on the basis of a discriminatory administrative procedure”, reacted the European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton. Hungary was singled out again in the Commission’s latest report on the rule of law in the EU, presented on Wednesday.
Brussels activated in April a procedure that can lead to the suspension of the payment of European funds to this country, due to concerns about the conditions for the award of public contracts, a lack of control and transparency in the use of funds, shortcomings in the fight against fraud and corruption. The Commission’s concerns about the rule of law are also at the heart of the blocking of the Hungarian recovery plan, amounting to 7.2 billion euros in European subsidies.