The European Union’s chief executive lashed out against homophobic policies of Warsaw’s nationalist government, saying on Wednesday that there is “no place” in the EU for districts that claim to be “LGBT-free zones” in Poland.
Speaking during her annual policy speech to the European Parliament, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “LGBTQI-free zones are humanity free zones. And they have no place in our Union”.
She added that “Breaches of the rule of law cannot be tolerated”.
Poland’s justice minister said last month that a town that had lost EU funding over dubbing itself a zone free of “LGBT ideology” would be supported through government financial aid.
Von der Leyen stated that the EU’s executive will be presenting “a strategy to strengthen LGBTQI rights” within the bloc in the coming weeks, and also pushing for mutual recognition of family relations within the EU.
Speaking on the latter, she said that “If you are a parent in one country, you are a parent in every country”.
Currently, certain countries in the EU see same sex marriage and parenthood as normal, yet there are still some countries that do not.
As a result of this, certain precarious situations are created, particularly when it comes to the rights given to same sex parents and their children, with it all being dependent on where in the EU they are.
The Law and Justice government in Poland, along with its Eurosceptic ally the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have constantly clashed with the EU when it comes to undercutting democratic standards.
Whilst both of the post-communist states benefit from generous EU funds, their rulers have been under immense pressure for putting courts and judges, media and academics, non-government organisations and rights groups under heavy direct government control.
The matter will be discussed in Brussels by the bloc’s 27 EU affairs ministers on Tuesday, yet no decisions are expected to be made, with the EU so far failing to prevent Poland or Budapest from going against the rule of law.