Letter to the editor: Will the new EU Commission become an important ally for LGBTIQ people throughout Europe?

December 1 st , the new EU Commission takes office. As always, the commission has a broad agenda, and many major issues to deal with in the coming years. When Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the proposed new EU commissioners and what they should prioritize in their work a few weeks ago, we noticed several positive news from an LGBTIQ perspective.

The commission will continue to have a commissioner for equality and that commissioner has been given responsibility for important issues for the LGBTIQ-community which is clear in the mission letter. It is clear that the Commission has ambitions. Not least in light of the fact that the development regarding LGBTIQ rights and the opportunities for LGBTIQ person to live free and fulfilling lives is taking different directions among the EU member states.

Among the positive changes that have taken place, we note the historic steps in Estonia and Greece to introduce same-sex marriage. And in Greece also a comprehensive package of legislation to strengthen LGBTIQ rights. The shift in Poland away from amore authoritarian rule to a government led by the EPP member party Platforma Obywatelska (PO) has opened the door to the country taking measures to give the LGBTIQ citizens more rights, even if the road is long. The Court of Justice of the European Union has determined that EU countries must accept and register the gender of someone who has had their gender legally recognised in another EU country.

Among the negative, we clearly see that the situation in Hungary has worsened further and that Slovakia, under its Social Democratic government, is enthusiastically following the same path. LGBTIQ people should not be seen or heard or be visible in society. Rights are being suppressed, and LGBTIQ persons are used as divisive tool in society to secure power. The situation in Bulgaria is also volatile after a rapid development where a law against LGBTIQ propaganda clearly inspired by Russia and introduced by the country’s pro Russian party won support in parliament. In Italy, there are efforts to remove one mother’s parental rights in same-sex couples. And the government are threatening to introduce prison sentences for Italians – regardless of sexual orientation – who have children via surrogacy.

These setbacks and negative developments are a reality that we need to address. With that as a background, the announcements from von der Leyen about the new commission were therefore important. The EU has an important role in pushing the agenda forwards even in areas that are largely at the national level, such as family policy. What the EU can do is state the obvious – the rights of LGBTIQ people are human rights and cannot be ignored by EU member states. The EU can and must act against discrimination, which is an important basis for the existence of the entire EU and something that goes beyond national borders in order to protect us all. The EU must also work to ensure that appropriate and sufficient measures are taken in all member states against crimes that are on the EU’s list of criminal acts, including hate crimes.

The new commissioner for equality, who is responsible for LGBITQ issues, has been given several missions to complete and it is important that these missions are realised. A new LGBTIQ Equality Strategy for 2025 and beyond will be produced with a focus on important issues such as on continuing to fight threats and hate crimes, including online. To make it a priority to ban conversion therapy as an EU crime so that it can be stopped in all member states is also highly important and something we welcome. The prioritise in the mission letter is all in all a good set of priorities and it’s important that all sensible political forces and families join in making these a reality.

At the same time, we need to ensure that there will be action so that the strategy won’t just be ambitions without result. The current LGBTIQ Equality Strategy has been criticised for not achieving the changes that were set out in it and that were desired. The new strategy and the continued work must make a real difference. The Commission must now deliver on the positives measures it now promises.

Fredrik Saweståhl, Member of the Swedish Parliament for Moderaterna and Secretary General European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance
Helge Ytterøy L’orange, President, European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance, Åpne Høyre, Norway
Gerben Horst, First Vice President, European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance, CDA Pride Netwerk, the Netherlands
Kevin Maas, Second Vice President, European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance, CD&V Regenboognetwerk, Belgium

About us
The European Centre-Right LGBT+ Alliance is an associated entity of EPP – European Peoples’ Party – and gathers organisations from EPP parties working with LGBTIQ+ issues. There are currently 11 member organisations from 10 countries