“We are highly alarmed by these developments,” reads the letter, signed by Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden.
A series of Hungarian laws which threaten fines against organizers of and participants in LGBTQ+ events, under the guise of child protection, “run contrary to the fundamental values to human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights as laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union,” the statement reads.
The text doesn’t spell out which measures Brussels should take. The obvious option, though, would be to impose so-called “interim measures” against Hungary, which are tantamount to EU legal injunctions against a government to prevent harm, in this case by ordering Budapest to allow the Pride celebration.
Brussels, which is withholding €18 billion in EU funds from Hungary over rule-of-law violations, has so far balked at further coercive action. Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib pushed back on the idea of imposing interim measures during a meeting last week, according to a participant. A failure to implement the measures could then trigger penalties.
Lahbib told the lawmakers she lacked support from her boss, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, for further action.
A Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the report.
