Lahbib presented the LGBTIQ+ Strategy for 2026-2030 on Wednesday to address increasing attacks against the community, stating that the situation appears to be regressing and is a “worrying trend.”
Currently, half of the EU countries have a national strategy for LGBTQ+ equality. Eight countries, including Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, and Spain, have banned conversion therapy, with the Netherlands considering a similar move. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy.
The new strategy by the Commission aims to focus on addressing hate speech against LGBTQ+ individuals both online and offline and plans to devise a strategy to tackle cyberbullying. Additionally, the Commission is contemplating establishing a law to standardize the definition of online hate offenses.
Several European countries have imposed restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico recently succeeded in amending his country’s constitution to recognize only two genders (male and female) and to prohibit surrogacy and adoption by same-sex couples.
Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orbán, is in conflict with Brussels over a series of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and his unsuccessful attempt to ban the Budapest Pride event, which celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. The EU’s top court is soon expected to rule on whether these actions breach EU law, with indications that the court may support Brussels.
“The Commission will not hesitate to take further action,” including litigation, to safeguard people’s rights, said Lahbib, noting that there are currently 10 ongoing infringement procedures against Hungary for breaching fundamental EU rights. As a consequence of these violations, the Commission has also suspended €18 billion in EU funding for Hungary.
“We don’t want to punish the citizens for the actions taken by their governments,” Lahbib remarked, suggesting that frozen funds due to rule of law violations be reallocated directly to civil society organizations in the next EU long-term budget.
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