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Malta and 16 other EU leaders, call for respect of LGBTQ rights
The leaders of 17 EU member states, which equates to more than half, declared their complete support for defending the rights of LGBTQ people today, following the passing of a controversial law in Hungary.
Without directly mentioning the country in question, a letter signed by the heads of state ahead of an EU summit, deplored the “threats against fundamental rights, and in particular, the principle of non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.”
As we mentioned, this was a veiled reference to the recently enacted law, which bans LGBTQ educational content for children under the age of 18. The law was additionally part of a package of legal changes, to strengthen punishments for paedophiles.
The debate about the law has divided EU countries, largely along an east to west line, with the more socially conservative governments so far unwilling to come out against the Hungarian, right-wing Prime Minister.
Photo: api.time.com
A spotlight was shed on the issue, in the world of EU politics this week, when UEFA, which is Europe’s football governing body, rejected a plan put forth by Munich, to light up its stadium in rainbow colours for a Germany-Hungary match, which took place yesterday.
The signatories are the leaders of these countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden.
Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela that the aim was to ensure that “Malta and the EU allow future generations to live in an environment of tolerance and equality.” “With our work as Team Malta, we will make sure of remaining at the top where these rights are concerned,” he said.
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