Move on GLBT rights: EU

Move on GLBT rights: EU

The European Union has reaffirmed that countries wanting to join must provide genuine protections for their GLBT citizens.
In accepting reports on membership bids by Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey, the European Parliament reminded all three that progress on GLBT issues was a non-negotiable condition of entry.

Croatia was singled out for banning a gay pride event in Zagreb last year, while Macedonia was criticised for explicitly leaving out GLBT people of new anti-discrimination laws.

The progress report on Turkey criticised its penal code for retaining ‘public morality’ laws which have been used by authorities to harass GLBT people and organisations despite homosexuality not being a crime in the country.

“We have reaffirmed that anti-discrimination standards must apply in candidate countries, and [the] Commissioner for Enlargement has assured us of his support on this issue,” Austrian Greens EU MP, and co-president of its Intergroup on LGBT rights, Ulrike Lunacek told the European Parliament.

“We count on the Commission’s work in this area to make sure fundamental rights are respected in the European region.”
However, anti-gay forces in Europe recently had some success in deferring gay rights motions in the continent-wide Council of Europe grouping of 47 nations.

When two resolutions calling on members to act on GLBT discrimination were put forward, politicians from Russia and Italy proposed 70 hostile amendments in a time-wasting exercise that will delay a vote on the resolutions until April.

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2 responses to “Move on GLBT rights: EU”

  1. There is a major inacurracy with this article. The Gay Pride Parade has been held in Zagreb Croatia every year with minimal issues since 2002. It was also held last year in June with approximately 500 parade participants. Croatia also recognises gay partnerships although like Australia doesn’t yet recognise gay marriages. “Queer Zagreb” is still Eastern Europe’s largest queer film festival ….

  2. Australia would not get membership.

    Kevin Rudd is still trying to stop us getting Federal Protection in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act in the name of his own brand of Christianity. So far he is succeeding.

    This impacts us greatly. Take for example the Federal takeover of hospitals. We have much talk of the Hospitals merging for instance. Does anyone realise what the impact will be on our community? I worry that rights will be taken away from us as we are not protected by Federal Law. We will have one Health Act that hospitals operate under. This will be Federal. If my beloved is sick I want to be able to see him without discrimination. Presently we have no Federal Protections and Federal Labor is not changing that.

    Australia is slipping further and further behind.