Fifteen countries of the European Union are supporting the appeal filed before the EU judiciary by the European Commission against a Hungarian law deemed discriminatory against the LGBT+ community, following last night’s announcement that France and Germany have signed the appeal.

In a rare move, the appeal, which is also supported by the European Parliament, involves, in addition to France and Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Malta, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Finland and Greece, it was welcomed by these member states and by defenders of LGBT+ rights.

“This historic coalition of European institutions and member states sends a strong message to (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orbán regarding the defense of our fundamental values ​​of equality, inclusion and the rule of law.”the Belgian non-governmental organization Forbidden Colors hailed today.

“Fifteen Member States and the European Parliament – the institution of the European People – are clearly on the side of freedom,” said French MEP Pierre Carleskind (Renew Europe, centrists and liberals), who is the vice-president of the LGBTI cross-parliamentary group in parliament.

Budapest, for its part, criticized yesterday, Thursday, Finland’s decision to participate in this process, which began shortly after the Hungarian parliament gave the green light for the Nordic country’s NATO membership. Hungary, on the other hand, has not ratified Sweden’s accession.

“Our Finnish friends still have a lot to learn when it comes to justice. To beg until you get something and then immediately turn your back is not decent behavior”commented the Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tamás Mentser speaking to the M1 TV station.

Hungary adopted a law in June 2021 banning “the presentation or promotion” of homosexuality and gender reassignment to minors, prompting angry reactions, particularly from European leaders.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had spoken of a “shame” and the EU’s executive body launched infringement proceedings against Hungary, leading to an appeal in December 2022 at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The Commission considers that this Hungarian law violates Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union which particularly concerns the respect of human rights and the avoidance of discrimination, as well as the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and also the guidelines for e-commerce, for services within the internal market, for audiovisual media services.

After deciding to participate in the procedure, the European Parliament or a Member State may submit arguments in support of the appeal.