MEPs seek stronger support for wine producers
A draft report by the Parliament's agriculture committee to support the wine sector goes further than the Commission's proposal, calling for stronger crisis measures and increased EU funding for producers.
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Euractiv
17 hours ago
- Euractiv
Major turnout as Budapest Pride defies Orban's ban in Hungary
BUDAPEST - With rainbow flags flying high, tens of thousands of people began marching Saturday for the Budapest Pride parade, defying a government ban that marks a major pushback against LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Organisers expect a record turnout of more than 35,000 people for the 30th edition of the Pride march in the Hungarian capital, despite a police ban imposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government. "Many, many tens of thousands" are participating, organisers said on social media after the march started, as AFP journalists saw the festive crowd filling squares and streets along the route. "I am proud to be gay... and I am very scared that the government wants to bring us down. I am very surprised that there are so many people, I want to cry," a 66-year-old participant, who gave only his first name, Zoltan, told AFP. Orban's governing coalition amended laws and the constitution this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. Orban said Friday that while police would not "break up" the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". - Newly installed cameras - Parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, and attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($590). The latest legal changes also empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part, and newly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the parade route. But participants were defiant as the march began chaotically under a scorching sun. Marchers repeatedly had to pause to wait for police to stop traffic, according to AFP journalists at the scene. Akos Horvath, an 18-year-old student who came to Budapest from a city in southern Hungary, said it was "of symbolic importance to come". "It's not just about representing gay people, but about standing up for the rights of the Hungarian people," he told AFP on his way to the march. Dozens of European lawmakers also attended in defiance of the ban. "Freedom and love can't be banned," read one huge poster put up near city hall, the gathering point for the march. Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban, while EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib travelled to Hungary and spoke in support of the parade on Friday. Thirty-three nations, including most EU countries, have also released a statement in support of the march. At a press conference Saturday, several French MEPs called on the EU to take tougher measures against Orban's government over the crackdown on civil rights and other rule of law issues. Budapest's opposition mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee should face any reprisals as the march is a municipal event that does not require police approval. Some people also gathered along the route to protest against LGBTQ rights at the urging of far-right groups, including by putting up a wooden cross adorned with protest messages. A woman who gave only her first name, Katalin, told AFP she agreed with the ban though she hoped there would be no clashes. "Disgusting... it's become a fad to show off ourselves," she said. 'Polarising society' Since Orban's return to power in 2010, the country of 9.6 million people has been steadily rolling back LGBTQ rights. But it is the first to ban a Pride march, with Orban saying he has been emboldened by the anti-diversity push by US President Donald Trump. "Orban is employing a tried-and-tested recipe ahead of next year's election by generating a conflict," political analyst Daniel Mikecz told AFP, saying that Orban was "polarising society". [adm]
Euractiv
a day ago
- Euractiv
Budapest Pride to go ahead amid Orbán pushback
Tens of thousands of Hungarians are expected to take to the streets of the Hungarian capital for a historic edition of Budapest Pride, amid pushback from the Orbán government and local police authorities. The march comes amid a deepening crackdown on LGBTQ rights in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government has passed a series of laws over the past few years restricting LGBTQ expression, including a 2021 ban on content deemed to "promote homosexuality" to minors. In March, Hungary's parliament enacted a law criminalizing LGBTQ 'promotion' in public, granting authorities the power to issue fines up to €500 and even pursue imprisonment and facial-recognition surveillance for participants. In defiance of this, Budapest's mayor, Gergely Karácsony, has designated the march a city event, thus arguing it falls outside the government's prohibition. While the Pride itself has no police authorisation, counter-protests arranged by the Hungarian far-right Our Homeland Movement do. Organisers said they expect Saturday's parade to be the biggest in the event's 30-year-long history. Commission looking on from the sidelines With some reports of von der Leyen telling her commissioners not to go, it was uncertain whether European executive would be represented at Saturday's event in Budapest. The Commission refuted that such travel advisory was ever issued. On Wednesday, the Commission president urged the Hungarian authorities to allow the Pride parade to go ahead. Orbán himself replied: "I urge the European Commission to refrain from interfering in the law enforcement affairs of Member States, where it has no role to play." A group of 17 EU countries has criticised the Hungarian government for its crackdown on the LGBTQ community. Last week, Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib announced that she would be in Budapest for the pride. At a press conference in Budapest yesterday, Lahbib hinted that she would stay on the sidelines of the actual Pride while 70 European lawmakers walk the streets of the Hungarian capitals. Parliament prepares for the worst In preparation for the event, European Parliament MEPs and staff have been briefed on the security situation. The European Parliament's Budapest office will remain open as a diplomatic safe zone, with boosted security. MEPs were urged to carry diplomatic passports, use VPNs, delay posting on social media to avoid tracking, and only use their own cables when charging their devices. Emergency contacts, encrypted messaging groups, and insurance information were distributed amid concerns over a volatile and rapidly shifting situation. 'This is something you might expect before protesting Erdoğan in Turkey, not in an EU country,' one MEP taking part in the Pride told Euractiv. Officially scheduled to begin at 14:00, the procession will weave along the famous Andrássy Avenue, culminating in a celebration at Szabadság tér, a square commemorating Hungary's liberation from communism. (adm)
Euractiv
2 days ago
- Euractiv
Trump suggests EU's digital rules are on the table in trade talks
Donald Trump suggested on Friday that the EU's enforcement of its Big Tech laws is on the table in ongoing trade talks that could see the EU make concessions in order to avoid certain tariffs. The US president announced the immediate suspension of trade talks with Canada via a post on his Truth Social platform over their tax on US technology companies. In enforcing their digital services tax, Canada was "obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us," he said. The EU does not tax US tech firms specifically, but Trump has previously criticised the bloc's laws to rein in anticompetitive behaviour by those firms and moderate the content they publish – the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, respectively. These rules include fines for non-compliance following investigations. Trump's Friday post is a suggestion that EU negotiators may be discussing how those laws are enforced against US firms in their talks on a deal to lower tariffs on European exports across the Atlantic. The European Commission denied Trump's suggestion. "We have been very clear on the sovereignty of our decision-making process, including our digital laws, they are untouchable," a spokesperson said. "We are still fully and deeply engaged in negotiations," they added. Trump's comments come just a day after EU leaders were divided on whether to accept a baseline 10% tariff on exports to the US – while possibly imposing their own retaliatory 10% tariff – at their summit in Brussels on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal , citing a leaked draft agreement, reported last week that the EU and US could enter into a formal dialogue on the Digital Markets Act following the trade deal – with US firms exempted from enforcement during those talks. That prompted a strong denial from the Commission's top US trade official, Matthias Jorgensen, who told MEPs this week that putting "the EU's regulatory autonomy on the table" was "not an option for us'. At this week's G7 summit in Canada, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump agreed to find a solution to the trade spat before 9 July. Von der Leyen told EU leaders on Thursday that she had received the latest counterproposal from the US.
