Hungary's LGBTQ+ law breaches EU regulation, top court advocate says
Advocate General Ćapeta also suggested that Hungary breaches fundamental EU values, enshrined in Article 2 of the EU's Treaty.
Advocates General's opinions are non-binding, though judges consider them and in most though not all cases tend to follow them. If the judges of the Court agree with the opinion of the Advocate General, they could demand that Hungary revoke or amend the law and could also fine Budapest.
The case is considered a landmark for human rights suits within the European Union, and the European Parliament and 16 EU member states have joined themselves to the action, demanding that Hungary annuls the law.
The law created tensions in Hungarian society
The law was adopted back in 2021 by the Hungarian parliament in a push for what the government called child protection and the fight against paedophilia. But opponents and the LGBTI community saw it as a Russian style anti-LGBTI campaign that poses a threat to fundamental rights. The law prohibits the portrayal of LGBTI people or sex relationships involving underage people in education and media. For example, the law stipulated that books containing photos of same sex relationships had to be wrapped in foil in bookshops, and meant that several TV-programs with similar content were moved to overnight slots.
The adoption of the law led to protests against the government, and the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Hungary in the same year, saying the law is in breach of EU law and values.
This year, Hungary issued a ban on gay pride events held in public spaces, based on the child protection law. The European Commission is currently investigating whether this legislation is in line with EU law. But Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath said at a debate at the European Parliament that the Budapest Pride poses no danger for children.
The UK's secretary of state for business and trade has told Euronews he is hoping that British holidaymakers will be able to use e-gates in Europe 'as soon as possible' following the agreement struck with the EU in May.
The European Union and the UK announced an agreement on 19 May to strengthen cooperation, the first such deal reached since the UK left the bloc in 2020.
Jonathan Reynolds, the UK , delivers a keynote address during the Brussels Economic Security Forum on Thursday.
As well as outlining new arrangements linked to travel, defence and fishing, the 'reset' focuses on farming, an industry heavily impacted by Brexit.
Under the terms of the new deal, British animal and plant products are expected to face fewer checks when exported to the EU. For example, the UK could once again be allowed to export raw sausages and burgers to the EU for the first time since Brexit — thanks to the proposed SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) agreement.
However, the implementation details are still pending.
Under the new deal, British travellers will be able to take advantage of the faster e-gate passport checks at many EU airports, but full details have yet been released on when this will be introduced.
'We hope it is as soon as possible because part of the agreement is the Commission saying there's no legal impediment to the use of e-gates,' Reynolds told Euronews.
Reynolds said that the e-gates carried 'huge efficiency advantages', adding: 'I want people who are going on their summer holiday from the UK to have the ease and use of that.'
Reynolds said his focus now is on implementing the May agreement, and dismissed opposition arguments against the agreement from the UK's Conservative and Reform parties.
'I think there is a coalition [in the UK] we can build that doesn't want to look to the past,' he said, saying such a coalition recognised the relationship as valuable in terms of trade, rather than revolving around issues of EU membership and constitutional issues.
'Let's not forget on fishing, there is no less access, no diminishing of the UK position from what is already the case and actually what is already the case is better than it had been in some previous years,' Reynolds said.
There will 'always be people who want to not move on. That's politics. And my political opponents in the UK have stated that', Reynolds said, but he said he was confident that such arguments would not prevail in a future election.
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Von der Leyen also announced that zero-for-zero tariffs will apply to certain chemicals, certain generic drugs, semiconductor-making equipment, some agricultural products (but with the exclusion of all sensitive products like beef, rice, ethanol, sugar or poultry), some natural resources and critical raw materials. However, uncertainties remain regarding the details and the sectors covered by the 15% rate, the legal certainty of the deal reached on Sunday and the purchase and investment commitment of the EU. No legally binding agreement yet The agreement reached will not be legally binding for both parties for some time. When exactly remains uncertain. A joint statement is expected to be released by 1 August— the deadline set by US President Donald Trump when he threatened to impose a 30% tariff on the EU. 'It will be a relatively light joint statement' an EU official said, adding that the EU is also awaiting the adoption of an executive order by the US that would bring some certainty to what has been agreed. Until then, negotiations on exemptions to the 15% tariffs will continue. 'Given that we want to make sure that the US delivers on its parts quickly, we will also want to deliver quickly on our part,' the official said, adding: 'We are currently looking into the exact legal basis together with Council and the European Parliament.' A bilateral international agreement between the EU and the US would take time, so other instruments might be considered by the Commission. Which EU products are exempt? Aircraft will be exempt from the 15% tariffs, meaning they will be sent to the US with no tariffs. The production lines in these sectors are too intertwined for the US to risk making their aircraft more expensive. However, the EU will keep negotiating other exemptions, with wine and spirits high on its agenda. Since the beginning of the negotiation, EU industries have continuously warned about the consequences of a deal that would penalise them. "We truly believe the trade of wine is of great benefit for both EU and US companies, and it must be included in the 0-for-0 tariff arrangement,' Marzia Varvaglione, president of the Comite europeen des entreprises de vin said in a statement on Sunday, adding: 'It's not just the EU side saying this—our US counterparts have also been strong advocates for protecting this vital exchange." Steel and aluminium: a quota system still to be negotiated The US currently imposes 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium. This will stay until both sides agree on a quota system. The Commission remains confident of its leverage in the coming talks however. 'I think that is where economics kick in and business interests kick in,' the same EU official said, adding that the bloc's provision of speciality steel is something that "US manufacturing badly needs'. But the European steel industry appeared rattled on Monday. 'If a zero tariff on our traditional exports to the US is confirmed, we would be going in the right direction,' Axel Eggert, director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) said, but he added: 'There is no clarity yet. As always, the devil is in the detail.' The uncertainty is offset by a commitment of the EU and the US to jointly fight global overcapacities, mainly coming from China. Energy: The EU's purchase commitment will depend on its industry. The EU committed to buy $750 billions' worth of US energy over the next three years. That's to say $250 billion annually directed towards US liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear industries. 'We've been looking at our needs also in terms of the phasing out of energy imports from Russia,' the EU official said. However the official conceded that there is no public commitment to delivering on this since the EU and its institutions will not be doing the actual buying. 'We can help with aggregating demand and facilitating certain things, and we can look at where there are maybe bottlenecks in infrastructure,' the official said. The EU also committed to purchasing US AI microchips on top of the $750 billion. EU investment in the US will depend on business EU companies will invest $600 billion in the US, according to the deal. But here again, there's no public authority that will be monitoring this, as it is the case in the Japan-US deal reached on 22 July where investments are equity, loans and guarantees from state-run agencies. 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Which EU countries recognise Palestine amid France's decision?
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on social media on 24 July that France will recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Macron shared his letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an X post, alongside a statement which read: "The French people want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, together with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible." France will become the first G7 country and the first permanent member of the UN Security Council (France, United States, China, United Kingdom and Russia) to recognise Palestine, joining 147 member states of the United Nations that have already done so. The act of recognition involves acknowledging the sovereignty and independence of Palestine within its pre-1967 Middle East war borders. This includes the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. The move will also lead to the establishment of full diplomatic relations between France and Palestine. This decision was taken amid a renewed push in Europe to bring the war in Gaza to an end. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas have called the suffering in Gaza "unbearable" and "indefensible". Before France, 10 out of 27 EU countries had already recognised Palestinian statehood. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, and Romania recognised Palestine in 1988, well before they became EU member states. The former country of Czechoslovakia also recognised Palestinian statehood in 1988. However, after it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992, the Czech Republic did not recognise such a state. "The Palestinian state did not meet the conditions for statehood under international law, of which the Czechoslovak government was fully aware," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic wrote on its official website in 2020. "The Czech Republic has not yet recognised the Palestinian state." Meanwhile, Slovakia reconfirmed its recognition of Palestine in 1993. In October 2014, Sweden became the very first country to recognise Palestine while being an EU member state. "The purpose of Sweden's recognition is to contribute to a future in which Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace and security. We want to contribute to creating more hope and belief in the future among young Palestinians and Israelis who might otherwise run the risk of believing that there is no alternative to the current situation," said the then Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margot Wallström. Sweden took this step at the height of months-long clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in East Jerusalem. More recently, on 28 May 2024, Spain and Ireland recognised Palestine as a state, claiming the decision aimed to help Israelis and Palestinians reach peace. On 4 June 2024, Slovenia also recognised the state of Palestine. "Slovenia and Palestine have established good relations, which are underpinned by regular political dialogue," Slovenia's official website stated. The two countries also collaborate in education and humanitarian aid, including by implementing a variety of humanitarian projects." Macron's announcement sparked anger from Israel and the United States. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision, as did US State Secretary Marco Rubio. "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th," Rubio wrote on X. 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The country's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that the recognition "without there being a state of Palestine" would be "counterproductive". Meanwhile, the Belgian position will be determined by the government in early September. "I will make a proposal to the government before the UN General Assembly in September so that it can decide on this matter, taking these elements into account," Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot wrote on X. Behind the recognition of a Palestinian state lies the idea of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which served as the basis of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians from the Oslo Accords in 1993 up until 2014. While the Palestinian Authority still advocates for two states, Israel no longer supports this solution to the conflict, nor does its ally, the US. In fact, settlement activity on the West Bank has further expanded in the past years, rendering the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state impossible. Add to that US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017, prompting the US embassy to move there from Tel Aviv. With this in mind, recognising a Palestinian state is largely symbolic and remains unfeasible as things stand on the ground.
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EU-US trade deal leaves future of pharma tariffs uncertain
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