Hungary's parliament last week approved a bill that bans the
distribution of material in schools deemed to promote
homosexuality or gender change, despite protests and criticism
from human rights groups and opposition parties.
On Wednesday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen
described the bill as shameful, saying she had tasked her
commissioners to take action before it entered into force.
In a jointly signed letter addressed to von der Leyen and EU
Council President Charles Michel, the leaders of 16 countries
including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and
Belgium backed the chief of the EU's executive.
"Respect and tolerance are at the heart of the European
project," they said. "We are determined to continue these
efforts and to ensure that Europe's future generations grow up
in an environment of equality and respect."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban defended the law and
declared himself a fighter for LGBT rights. "This law is not
about that," he told reporters on his arrival in Brussels for
the summit.
The leaders will discuss the bloc's strategy on Russia and the
extension of a migration pact with Turkey, as refugee numbers
are expected to rise due to NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan
and a deterioration of the security situation there.
The spat with Hungary is not part of the official agenda, but EU
diplomats anticipate a debate on the issue with Orban in the
evening.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who is openly gay, said
the Hungarian law was unacceptable as he arrived for the EU
talks.
Orban, who faces an election next year, has grown increasingly
combative on social issues, saying he wants to protect
traditional Christian values against what he sees as the
excesses of Western liberalism.
The EU has long accused Hungary of undermining the rule of law
and has launched a formal legal investigation into Orban's
government.
(Writing by Sabine Siebold and Caroline Copley; editing by Riham
Alkousaa and Philippa Fletcher)
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