The European Union’s highest court has begun hearing a case that symbolises a major conflict between Hungary and the bloc over a law condemned as anti-LGBTQ.
A lawyer for the European Commission, which in December 2022 referred the case to the Court of Justice, told the tribunal on Tuesday that the legislation was a “massive and flagrant violation of several important EU rules”.
He noted that it was a frontal and serious attack on the rule of law and more generally on European society.
Read: https://www.tvcnews.tv/2023/08/world-bank-suspends-fresh-loans-to-uganda-over-anti-lgbtq-law/
The Hungarian Child Protection Act is law passed by the Central European country in 2021 with the stated objective of protecting children from harm, including enforcing a zero-tolerance attitude for convicted pedophiles.
However, it also restricts depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment in media and educational content for children under 18, causing outrage among activists and politicians in other EU countries who criticised the law for stigmatizing LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relationships with pedophilia.
In April, the European Parliament passed a motion strongly condemning the law, alleging that it undermines democracy and the rule of law in Hungary.
Sixteen of the 27 member states of the bloc, including France and Germany, also joined in on the legal action taken against Budapest in what has been described as the largest human rights case in EU history.
They believe the law is modelled after a similar piece of legislation enacted in Russia, which was declared unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights in 2017.
In Hungary, bookstores and shops have received hefty fines for depicting blacklisted content after the government started implementing the legislation.
The European Commission alleges the legislation violates core EU values on fighting discrimination and upholding human rights while undermining single market rules on services and audiovisual media.
Budapest has denied the charges, claiming that the law is intended to safeguard children and that a referendum on the subject supported the legislation.
Many EU countries have also been outraged by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s tight ties with Russia and delays in assistance for Ukraine since Moscow invaded the country over three years ago.
The EU is also pursuing legal action against Hungary for its “sovereignty” and foreign interference laws.
