Twenty European Union countries have issued a stinging rebuke of Hungary’s escalating crackdown on LGBTIQ+ rights, calling on the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to reverse recently passed legislation that effectively bans Pride events and criminalises their organisers.
In a joint statement released on Monday, the governments of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden said they were “deeply concerned” by Hungary’s legislative and constitutional amendments targeting the rights and freedoms of LGBTIQ+ people.
The measures — adopted by Hungary’s Parliament on 18 March under the pretext of child protection — not only reinforce the country’s LGBTIQ+ “propaganda law” but now criminalise the organisation or participation in events, such as Pride marches, that authorities deem to violate this law. The amendments also permit the use of facial recognition technology to identify participants.
Adding to the alarm, on 14 April, Hungary’s Parliament also passed a constitutional amendment enshrining a binary definition of sex, declaring that the state recognises “only two sexes, male and female”.
Pride ban a threat to EU values
“We are highly alarmed by these developments which run contrary to the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights, as laid down in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union,” the joint statement reads.
It further asserts that “Respecting and protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, including LGBTIQ+ persons, is inherent in being part of the European family. This is our responsibility and shared commitment of the member states and the European institutions.”
The 20 EU member states urged Hungary to revise the measures and “ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens are respected and protected”. They also called on the European Commission to “expeditiously make full use of the rule of law toolbox” should Hungary fail to reverse course.
Hungary’s latest crackdown arrives just weeks before the 30th anniversary edition of the Budapest Pride March, scheduled for 28 June.
MEPs call for EU funds suspension
On Wednesday, a group of 60 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) also sent an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging the EU to take firm action — including suspending funds to Hungary.
The letter expresses “deep disappointment and concern” over media reports that the Commission discouraged EU Commissioners from attending Budapest Pride this year. If confirmed, the MEPs argue, this would be a grave failure of the Commission’s duty to uphold the EU Treaties and Charter of Fundamental Rights.
“These actions undermine the rule of law and fundamental rights, not only in Hungary, but also in Europe as a whole,” the MEPs warn. “Silence and inaction in the face of injustice amount to complicity.”
The letter states unequivocally: “If the European Commission truly wishes to stand alongside the LGBTIQ+ community, it cannot refrain from supporting peaceful demonstrations for equality out of fear of ‘provoking’ Viktor Orbán’s government.”
It concludes with a powerful appeal: “Now, more than ever, the LGBTIQ+ community, civil society, human rights defenders and all those who believe in freedom and dignity for all need to see that the European Union is truly their ally — not just in words, but in action.”
Pride under siege
This is not the first time Hungary’s treatment of LGBTIQ+ people has triggered tensions within the EU. In 2021, the European Commission launched infringement proceedings over Hungary’s original “anti-LGBTIQ propaganda law”, a case that is still pending before the European Court of Justice.
But the new amendments — and the intensifying criminalisation of queer expression — represent a dangerous new chapter.
With just a month to go before what should be a milestone celebration for the Hungarian LGBTIQ+ community, international pressure is mounting on Orbán’s government. Whether the EU will respond with more than words — and whether Pride will be allowed to proceed in Budapest — remains to be seen.
