Threats to fundamental rights in Hungary
Ϸվ, Council, and Commission will discuss Hungary’s restrictions on the right of assembly and the announced ban on the Budapest Pride march.
On Wednesday, the European Ϸվ will assess the state of fundamental rights in Hungary after the pro-government majority changed the law on public assemblies in March 2025, enabling authorities to classify pro-LGBTIQ+ gatherings as violations of the Child Protection Act and consequently ban the Budapest Pride march. MEPs are set to argue that this limitation of the rights of assembly and expression is a direct violation of the enshrined in the and the .
In 1997, Budapest became the first capital of a former Communist bloc country to host a Pride march, a landmark moment for equality and freedom. However, Hungary’s government has been taking regressive steps for many years, dismantling institutions, the rule of law, and freedom of expression, to the point where Ϸվ can no longer consider the country a full democracy. In January 2024, MEPs once more urged the Council to unblock the process to assess Hungary’s “serious and persistent breaches of EU values”.
Debate: Wednesday 2 April
Procedure: Council and Commission statements, no resolution