just a month Ago, the organizations LGBTI several Eastern European countries denounced in Brussels the retreat of the rights and freedoms that he was suffering from the collective. And this week I have returned to check on their partners from the European Union, which decided to plantarles face in a tense meeting of the Council in which Poland and Hungary refused to pick up in a conclusions the protection of the citizens LGBTI. Not being the first time that happened, 19 countries refused to yield on this occasion, and warned that it will not consent to that transfer that “red line”. Is more, signed a declaration driven by Malta to claim the European Commission is acting to prevent the discrimination of those groups.
The Council of the EU on Thursday should be approved without major problems conclusions —an action plan— from a report on the risks of scanning for gender equality among young people. However, this text unleashed a political storm in Brussels.
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The cause of the dispute was the decision of Austria —which has the rotating presidency of the EU and prepares discussions and documents— check out the acronym LGBTI for a section on actions to create a “cyberspace inclusive and non-discriminatory”. The text had a broad consensus, but Hungary and Poland was asked to remove that reference. Austria agreed and was put to the vote the conclusions, as amended.
The new role that came at the hands of the ministers responsible for the portfolio Equal irritated from the beginning to 15 countries (then we added other four), among them Spain, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, or France, as indicated in the text. And it could be proved in the debate. When the austrian minister, Beate Hartinger-Klein, gave the word to the countries that were against what happened accumulated shifts of word.
red Lines
“We have common values in the EU which recognize the equality of rights for the collective LGBTI. Not to mention it in the conclusions Betist is a step backwards is unacceptable”, ripped off the Dutch minister, Wouter Koolmes. The Netherlands announced that without such a mention would reject the conclusions, and prepared a statement with a number of countries in the who would expose the “red lines” that would not accept anyone to cross.
The owner of Labour and Solidarity of Portugal, Jose Antonio Vieira, said that the mere removal of the phrase could be interpreted as an “act of discrimination”. The problem, argued to diplomatic sources, is that it is not the first time that governments reactionaries in Hungary and Poland prevented to protect the collective LTGBI of any exclusion.
In October, Poland made it impossible for the Council of Justice consensuara the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights by vetoing a section that specified the persecution of those citizens. The government of Law and Justice did not see it necessary, and instead claimed a reference to the harassment that he said that suffering christians and jews in Europe.
“we’re Not going to leave to spend more,” said diplomatic sources. “Equality is a requirement in our democracy. It is regrettable to omit the reference,” said the Danish minister, Jakob Jensen. Yolanda Valdeolivas, secretary of State for Employment of Spain, stated that the conclusions could not be adopted “at the price of giving up core values to the community acquis”. “If there is not unanimity, we will be on the side of those claiming a text that is more inclusive”, he added.
There was none. And Austria decided to backtrack and re-introduce the reference to the protection of the collective. The minister Hungarian then asked the word. “We’re talking about gender, men and women. And we believe that discrimination is not acceptable. But we do not support the final text”, he announced. Poland fell, but also voted against it. The rest —also countries that remained outside the debate as Romania or Bulgaria— supported.
the conclusions of The Council were blocked and it was voted a presidency document, which commits governments. There was No statement alternative, but it is one of 19 countries that claimed to Brussels more protection to the citizens LGTIB.
More funds for organizations activists
One of the requests of the letter driven by Malta is that the European Commission should allocate more funds to the society for the promotion of equality. Precisely, the associations LGBTI Poland reported in the last congress that was held in Brussels that the government arch-conservative, had cut off all funds to the entities. The organizations warned of the escalation of violence verbal —and sometimes physical— in those countries.
