Conclusion from meeting with EU commissioner Helena Dalli

– The new EU LGBTIQ Equality Strategy is a major step forward. Containing several measures aiming at improving quality of life, equality, and rights for members of the LGBT+ community across Europe as well as encourage diversity in the EU. From our perspective centre-right perspective we believe that we need to increase the focus on a number of areas such as the rights of rainbow children across national borders, the situation for trans and intersex people, elderly LGBT + people and queer refugees, says President of the European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance Fredrik Saweståhl. He adds that the Alliance wants the EU not only to use sanctions when countries move backwards, but to establish positive measures to stimulate countries to remove older discriminatory rules.

Last week he and Vice President Helge Ytterøy L’orange, presented the Alliance’ view on the strategy in a meeting between the Alliance and the responsible EU-commissioner Helena Dalli.

EU-commissioner Dalli was concerned not only to adopts laws and regulations, but also to work with attitudes and actively seek to change these through dialogue at several levels. The Alliance used the way Norway has worked towards Poland, among other things, through support for NGOs, support for vulnerable groups, withholding support and more, as an example of how to address the challenge.

Throughout the meeting, various forms of ‘Best practice’ were also discussed, and how these can be established and used to show the value of inclusion for a society in terms of diversity, talent, free enterprise, and financial growth. – Commissionaire Dalli is obviously very committed to LGBT+ issues and to bringing about a positive development and necessary reform. She is well updated and wants to work through broad alliances and dialogue on several levels. We had a very good meeting, and several of our points was welcomed wholly. We look forward, as a centre-right Alliance to continue to work with the Commission and all that wants to move things forward to contribute with our ideas and perspective, concludes President Fredrik Saweståhl.