| 10.02.2010 | European
Union 
European Parliament reaffirms
LGBT rights are a condition to join the European Union
Today the plenary session of the
European Parliament adopted reports on the
accession to the European Union for Croatia, the Former
Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and Turkey. All three reports call on candidate
countries to
provide genuine protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender
minorities, and remind candidate countries that the
protection of all
minorities is a non-negotiable condition to access the
European Union.
The report on Croatia
conveys the European Parliament's concern about the
2009 de facto ban on Zagreb Pride, and calls on the
Government to
effectively implement and enforce protection against
discrimination. The
report on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
expresses the European
Parliament's regret that the proposed new
anti-discrimination legislation
does not cover sexual orientation and gender identity as
grounds of
discrimination, and calls on the Government to bring
their
anti-discrimination legislation in line with EU
standards.
Finally, the European Commission's progress report on
Turkey's accession
points to the shortcomings of the Turkish penal code,
allowing for the
systematic persecution of LGBT minorities and the
limitation of their
freedom of assembly.
More:
www.lgbt-ep.eu |
