Latest news with #TreatyonEuropeanUnion
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Hungary's anti-LGBTQ law broke EU rules: court advisor
LUXEMBOURG: The European Court of Justice's top legal advisor recommended Thursday that Hungary be declared in breach of EU law over anti-LGBTQ legislation adopted in 2021, in a case pitting Budapest against a majority of its EU partners. The European Commission, 16 of 27 member states and the European Parliament took Hungary to the EU's top court over the law, in what has been billed as the largest human rights case in the bloc's history. Originally aimed at toughening punishments for child abuse, the law was amended to ban the 'promotion of homosexuality' to under-18s. It outraged activists and leaders across the EU who criticised it for stigmatising LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relations to paedophilia. The top legal advisor to the Luxembourg court, Tamara Capeta, considers the bill to violate core EU precepts of non-discrimination and fundamental rights as well as undermining its rules on services and audiovisual media, a court statement said. She recommended that the court declare Budapest in 'infringement' of Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which sets out the fundamental values on which the bloc is founded. Capeta 'considers that by calling into question the equality of LGBTI persons, Hungary... has negated several of those fundamental values and, thus, has significantly deviated from the model of a constitutional democracy, reflected in Article 2 TEU,' the statement said. The opinion of the advocate general is not binding on the court, which is expected to issue a ruling later this year. The case, the latest confrontation between Brussels and the government of Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, could have far-reaching consequences. A finding against Budapest could lead to a large fine and potentially kickstart a procedure to suspend Hungary's voting rights in EU meetings. Provisions in the Hungarian bill, the advocate general found, 'interfere' with a number of protections under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The rights in question are the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex and sexual orientation, the respect for private and family life, the freedom of expression and information, and the right to human dignity. Capeta also deemed the Hungarian law to infringe EU rules on the 'freedom to provide and receive services'. The central European country, under Orban's rule, has passed a series of laws slammed as curbing the rights of sexual and gender minorities -- including a bill seeking to ban Pride march set for June 28 that is based on the 2021 legislation. Since the law was implemented, broadcasters have been forbidden to show LGBTQ content during the day and shops prevented from selling LGBTQ-themed products within a 200-metre (220-yard) radius of churches and schools. Some bookshops have faced fines for carrying graphic novels and other titles with LGBTQ characters in their youth sections, according to advocacy group Reclaim.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Hungary's anti-LGBTQ law broke EU rules
LUXEMBOURG: The European Court of Justice's top legal advisor recommended Thursday that Hungary be declared in breach of EU law over anti-LGBTQ legislation adopted in 2021, in a case pitting Budapest against a majority of its EU partners. The European Commission, 16 of 27 member states and the European Parliament took Hungary to the EU's top court over the law, in what has been billed as the largest human rights case in the bloc's history. Originally aimed at toughening punishments for child abuse, the law was amended to ban the 'promotion of homosexuality' to under-18s. It outraged activists and leaders across the EU who criticised it for stigmatising LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relations to paedophilia. The top legal advisor to the Luxembourg court, Tamara Capeta, considers the bill to violate core EU precepts of non-discrimination and fundamental rights as well as undermining its rules on services and audiovisual media, a court statement said. She recommended that the court declare Budapest in 'infringement' of Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which sets out the fundamental values on which the bloc is founded. Capeta 'considers that by calling into question the equality of LGBTI persons, Hungary... has negated several of those fundamental values and, thus, has significantly deviated from the model of a constitutional democracy, reflected in Article 2 TEU,' the statement said. The opinion of the advocate general is not binding on the court, which is expected to issue a ruling later this year. The case, the latest confrontation between Brussels and the government of Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, could have far-reaching consequences. A finding against Budapest could lead to a large fine and potentially kickstart a procedure to suspend Hungary's voting rights in EU meetings. Provisions in the Hungarian bill, the advocate general found, 'interfere' with a number of protections under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The rights in question are the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex and sexual orientation, the respect for private and family life, the freedom of expression and information, and the right to human dignity. Capeta also deemed the Hungarian law to infringe EU rules on the 'freedom to provide and receive services'. The central European country, under Orban's rule, has passed a series of laws slammed as curbing the rights of sexual and gender minorities -- including a bill seeking to ban Pride march set for June 28 that is based on the 2021 legislation. Since the law was implemented, broadcasters have been forbidden to show LGBTQ content during the day and shops prevented from selling LGBTQ-themed products within a 200-metre (220-yard) radius of churches and schools. Some bookshops have faced fines for carrying graphic novels and other titles with LGBTQ characters in their youth sections, according to advocacy group Reclaim.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Hungary's anti-LGBTQ law broke EU rules: court advisor
AP file photo LUXEMBOURG: The European Court of Justice's top legal advisor recommended Thursday that Hungary be declared in breach of EU law over anti-LGBTQ legislation adopted in 2021, in a case pitting Budapest against a majority of its EU partners. The European Commission, 16 of 27 member states, and the European Parliament took Hungary to the EU's top court over the law, in what has been billed as the largest human rights case in the bloc's history. Originally aimed at toughening punishments for child abuse, the law was amended to ban the "promotion of homosexuality" to under-18s. It outraged activists and leaders across the EU who criticised it for stigmatising LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relations to paedophilia. The top legal advisor to the Luxembourg court, Tamara Capeta, considers the bill to violate core EU precepts of non-discrimination and fundamental rights as well as undermining its rules on services and audiovisual media, a court statement said. She recommended that the court declare Budapest in "infringement" of Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), which sets out the fundamental values on which the bloc is founded. Capeta "considers that by calling into question the equality of LGBTI persons, Hungary... has negated several of those fundamental values and, thus, has significantly deviated from the model of a constitutional democracy, reflected in Article 2 TEU," the statement said. The opinion of the advocate general is not binding on the court, which is expected to issue a ruling later this year. The case, the latest confrontation between Brussels and the government of Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, could have far-reaching consequences. A finding against Budapest could lead to a large fine and potentially kickstart a procedure to suspend Hungary's voting rights in EU meetings. Provisions in the Hungarian bill, the advocate general found, "interfere" with a number of protections under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The rights in question are the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex and sexual orientation, the respect for private and family life, the freedom of expression and information, and the right to human dignity. Capeta also deemed the Hungarian law to infringe EU rules on the "freedom to provide and receive services". The central European country, under Orban's rule, has passed a series of laws slammed as curbing the rights of sexual and gender minorities, including a bill seeking to ban the Pride march set for June 28 that is based on the 2021 legislation. Since the law was implemented, broadcasters have been forbidden to show LGBTQ content during the day, and shops have been prevented from selling LGBTQ-themed products within a 200-metre (220-yard) radius of churches and schools. Some bookshops have faced fines for carrying graphic novels and other titles with LGBTQ characters in their youth sections, according to advocacy group Reclaim.
Irish Examiner
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Viktor Orbán hits out at Micheál Martin after criticism of Hungary
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has hit out at the Taoiseach after Micheál Martin accused Hungary of exploiting the European Council veto. Mr Martin said the veto mechanism is being abused by Hungary and called on the EU to take action before it renders the union dysfunctional. Responding to the Taoiseach's comments on X, Mr Orbán said it is "always shocking when we see that an Irish patriot chooses to stand on the side of an empire instead of national sovereignty". In his post, Mr Orbán spoke of a "love story" between Irish and Hungarian patriots and asked Mr Martin not to "ruin" it. "We Hungarians have always regarded Irish patriots as champions of freedom and national independence. For us, Ireland is a symbol of liberty and sovereignty," he wrote. A spokesperson for the Taoiseach acknowledged Mr Orbán's comments but did not respond to them, saying that Mr Martin had been very clear in his statements. Mr Martin criticised Hungary extensively in an interview with Euronews warning that the European Union will become unworkable if Hungary's abuse is permitted to continue. Mr Martin said: I think there is only so much member states can take in terms of wilful abuse of the veto. We have seen it play out in Ukraine. Mr Orbán's government has threatened to block EU financial assistance to Ukraine, argued against sanctions on Russia and opposed Ukraine's eventual membership in the EU. "It is outrageous what is going on at the moment. In my view, it is essential that Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union for geopolitical reasons," Mr Martin said. He continued: "But it seems that people are exploiting the mechanisms of the veto — unreasonably, in my view. "Europe has made a lot of attempts to try and unblock these issues through mediation and engagement." There are a number of instruments that the EU can use to deal with Hungary's actions including the Article 7 procedure "and we shouldn't be afraid to use them", he said. Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union provides for action against any member state which is deemed to be at 'risk of a serious breach' of the rule of law. The Fianna Fáil leader also raised concerns about what he labelled Hungary's anti-European rhetoric which Mr Martin said is inflaming public opinion in a negative way. He said that what exists in Europe is very precious and we should not be shy in standing up for and protecting it. "In the European Union, we have all of that freedom of speech, we have regulated markets, we have good standards in food and across the board, we have stability. "Who wouldn't want to live in an environment like that and all around us it is falling down a bit." Mr Martin's ranging criticism of Hungary also included a condemnation of its ban on the Pride march. "We are very concerned about that in Hungary in terms of the undermining of the LGBTI community, the banning of pride parades. These are very fundamental issues that the European Union has to engage with," he said.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hungary is part of Putin's team, Estonia's foreign minister says
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna believes that the European Union is nearing the point of depriving Hungary of its voting rights in the EU Council due to its obstruction of decisions related to Russia. Source: Tsahkna in an interview with German newspaper Rheinische Post, as reported by European Pravda Details: Tsahkna noted the growing recognition across Europe of Russia as a threat and the urgent need to "arm ourselves now", rejecting claims of a supposed division on the continent. "Let's be honest: to be divided, you need two big parties. With Hungary, we have a very weak country that is part of Putin's team, not part of our European team," he emphasised. The Estonian foreign minister also pointed out that Hungary currently has the ability to block unanimous decisions, including those on European foreign and security policy. "However, Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union allows a member state to be deprived of its voting rights if its membership endangers the security of Europe and other members. This is exactly what [Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán is doing," Tsahkna explained. In his opinion, the possibility of invoking Article 7 "is getting closer and closer". For reference: Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union allows for the suspension of certain rights of a member state if it is found to be in serious and persistent breach of the EU's fundamental values. Background: On 14 March, the Financial Times reported that Hungary's refusal to extend a series of EU sanctions against Russia has sparked increased discussions among member states regarding the potential need to strip Hungary of its voting rights in key EU decisions. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
