As the US and even the UK roll back their commitment to gay equality, the European Commission unveiled its LGBTQ+ Equality Strategy for 2026–2030, marking a determined step to bolster equality, inclusion, and human rights across the European Union. Building upon the groundwork laid by the 2020–2025 strategy, this renewed framework reasserts the EU’s ambition to create ‘a Union of Equality’ amid rising anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and violence both within Europe and globally.
The strategy aims to strengthen and expand the EU’s legal and policy measures against discrimination. It calls for the full enforcement of the Equal Treatment Directive and introduces more robust safeguards against hate speech, hate crimes, and particularly the harmful so-called ‘conversion practices’ aimed at changing or suppressing individuals’ sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, the strategy recommits to advancing inclusive education, equitable healthcare access, and the formal recognition of diverse family structures across member states.
EU officials also intend to embed LGBTQ+ equality as a core pillar in the union’s external relations. Through programmes such as the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, the EU pledges sustained funding to support LGBTQ+ human rights defenders and civil society worldwide. This promise of international solidarity carries significant weight as the EU negotiates its next seven-year budget, particularly against a backdrop of shrinking foreign aid budgets that have already impacted LGBTQ+ organisations globally.
Despite these ambitions, the strategy arrives at a time of mounting challenges. Crackdowns on LGBTQ+ rights in countries like Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria underscore the EU’s uneven progress and expose the need for more decisive action to hold member states accountable. These developments reflect a broader global backlash characterised by the proliferation of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-gender ideologies, the criminalization of same-sex relations, and attacks on transgender people. The EU strategy explicitly recognises LGBTQ+ equality as integral to democratic resilience, linking internal cohesion with external credibility in human rights advocacy.
A recent survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights illuminates the lived realities of many LGBTQ+ Europeans. While reported discrimination has slightly declined—from 42% to 36%—incidents of physical and sexual violence have increased, rising from 11% to 14% over a five-year period. The survey highlights that intersex and transgender people are particularly vulnerable to violence and discrimination, and that being openly LGBTQ+ in Europe continues to entail significant risks. Countries such as Bulgaria and Cyprus record the highest discrimination rates, reflecting uneven protections across the union.
The new strategy focuses on three key priorities: protecting LGBTQ+ community members from hate-motivated harassment and violence; empowering communities through stronger equality bodies and workplace inclusion measures; and engaging EU member states to adopt national strategies or action plans to further LGBTQ+ equality. Moreover, the strategy recognises the importance of supporting grassroots civil society organisations defending these rights, with commitments to targeted funding. Yet the strategy also acknowledges challenges ahead, notably the dependence on member states’ political will and the limited enforcement mechanisms currently in place. Ensuring that EU funding reaches activists in repressive contexts will require more flexible and direct-access funding systems.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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