Latest news with #EuropeanParliament
Int'l Business Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Budapest Mayor Defies Police Ban On Pride March
Hungarian police on Thursday banned the country's main Pride march from taking place in Budapest on June 28 but the capital's mayor defied them, vowing it would still go ahead. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to power in 2010, Hungary has passed a series of laws which have been criticised at home and across the European Union for curtailing the rights of the country's sexual and gender minorities in the name of "child protection". "The police, acting within their authority over public assemblies, prohibit the holding of the assembly at the aforementioned location and time," the police said on their website. Police said the ban was necessary under recent legislation that bans the promotion of same-sex relationships to under-18s. They said any appeal against the decision must be lodged with the central European country's supreme court within three days. Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony vowed to hold the gathering despite the ban. He said the police decision had "no value" because the march did not require official authorisation anyway, as it was an event organised by the city council. "Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march on June 28 as a city event. Period," he wrote on Facebook. On Monday he had announced that Budapest city hall would organise the march in an attempt to sidestep the recently adopted law. One senior government figure on Wednesday accused the mayor of "trying to cheat". "All events of this type have to be announced, and the police have the right to ban them," said Gergely Gulyas, head of Orban's office. "No serious legal expert would try to dispute that." In mid-March, the Hungarian parliament passed a bill aimed at banning any gathering that violates an anti-LGBTQ law adopted in 2021. The 2021 law prohibits the "display or promotion of homosexuality" to under-18s. In its decision published Thursday, police said that the march "by its very nature cannot be held without the representation" of people belonging to the LGBTQ community and that under-18s could be present along the route. "If it cannot be stated with absolute certainty that the display is not taking place in the presence of persons under 18 years of age, the assembly would be in breach of the ban," the police said. Hungarian lawmakers in April overwhelmingly backed constitutional changes that strengthened the legal foundations for banning the Pride march. The government said the annual event could be held at an enclosed location like a stadium, out of sight of children. The conflict over the Pride march has already sparked protests in Hungary. Thousands of people blocked bridges in the capital, demanding the ban be repealed. Several members of the European Parliament have said they will attend the parade. European equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib is also due to attend the march, as are ministers from several European Union countries, the organisers said. Attendees risk a fine of up to 500 euros ($570), which the Hungarian authorities say will be channelled into "child protection" projects. Police may use facial recognition technology to identify them. Under Orban, Hungary has passed several laws targeting the LGBT community that have been criticised abroad AFP The conflict over the Pride march has already sparked protests in Hungary AFP
Euronews
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
MEPs back mandatory microchipping of all cats and dogs in the EU
The European Parliament has backed the mandatory microchipping of all cats and dogs across the EU, in a bid to reduce fraud and improve the enforcement of animal welfare standards. This brings the EU a step closer to setting minimum common standards for the breeding and keeping of cats and dogs, after the vote on amendments to the European Commission's original proposal. This vote paves the way for negotiations with EU ministers, who had already adopted their position last year. Currently, pet registration is mandatory in 24 EU member states, but the systems are fragmented. Only a private initiative, Europetnet, links national and regional databases in 17 countries. MEPs also proposed that dogs and cats imported from non-EU countries for sale must be microchipped before entry and registered in a national database. "This marks a clear move against illegal breeding and the irresponsible importation of animals from outside the EU," said Veronika Vrecionová, the Czech conservative MEP who acted as rapporteur on the file. Animal welfare organisations hailed the vote as a major breakthrough, noting that the law would ensure basic standards - including proper feeding, veterinary care and protection from abuse - helping eliminate unregulated backyard breeding and abusive puppy and kitten mills. Some earlier amendments by MEPs had sparked concerns for potentially facilitating illegal trade. However, animal welfare NGOs confirmed these issues were resolved in the final plenary vote. Crucially, the Parliament went beyond the Commission's original proposal by calling for full identification and registration of all kept cats and dogs, not just those placed on the market. "MEPs have finally taken a step today that we've been waiting for for years, one that could end the illegal pet trade once and for all in Europe," said Joe Moran, European office director for FOUR PAWS International. To prevent the exploitation of animals, MEPs also want to limit the number of litters a female animal can have during her lifetime. The rules would apply universally to all breeders, regardless of their size. In particular, the European Parliament took a positive step by including small breeders in the scope of the proposal, according to Iwona Mertin, companion animals programme leader at Eurogroup for Animals. "This is significant, especially in countries where 80% of breeders produce fewer than four litters per year. Without this, a major loophole would remain," she said. There are currently 127 million cats and 104 million dogs in the EU, with about 44% of households owning a pet. The sector's annual value is estimated at €1.3 billion, according to EU Commission data. MEPs also left the door open to extending the law's protections to other companion animals in the future, by supporting the creation of a so-called "Positive List," namely a list that would allow only species deemed suitable to be kept and sold as pets. Final negotiations between the Parliament and EU ministers are expected to begin soon, marking the last phase before the law can be adopted. A missile has hit the vicinity of the European Union delegation in Tel Aviv, according to several sources consulted by Euronews. The origin of the missile was not immediately clear, but it was presumed to be a projectile fired by Iran against Israel amid the military escalation between the two countries, now on its seventh day. The strike happened near a district with several embassies, including those from the United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium. An EU official indicated all personnel of the delegation were "safe and sound." This is a developing story.
eNCA
17 hours ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Budapest mayor defies police ban on Pride march
BUDAPEST - Hungarian police on Thursday banned the country's main Pride march from taking place in Budapest on June 28 but the capital's mayor defied them, vowing it would still go ahead. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to power in 2010, Hungary has passed a series of laws which have been criticised at home and across the European Union for curtailing the rights of the country's sexual and gender minorities in the name of "child protection". "The police, acting within their authority over public assemblies, prohibit the holding of the assembly at the aforementioned location and time," the police said on their website. Police said the ban was necessary under recent legislation that bans the promotion of same-sex relationships to under-18s. They said any appeal against the decision must be lodged with the central European country's supreme court within three days. Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony vowed to hold the gathering despite the ban. He said the police decision had "no value" because the march did not require official authorisation anyway, as it was an event organised by the city council. "Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march on June 28 as a city event. Period," he wrote on Facebook. On Monday he had announced that Budapest city hall would organise the march in an attempt to sidestep the recently adopted law. In mid-March, the Hungarian parliament passed a bill aimed at banning any gathering that violates an anti-LGBTQ law adopted in 2021. The 2021 law prohibits the "display or promotion of homosexuality" to under-18s. - Pro-LGBTQ protests - In its decision published on Thursday, police said that the march "by its very nature cannot be held without the representation" of people belonging to the LGBTQ community and that under-18s could be present along the route. "If it cannot be stated with absolute certainty that the display is not taking place in the presence of persons under 18 years of age, the assembly would be in breach of the ban," the police said. Hungarian lawmakers in April overwhelmingly backed constitutional changes that strengthened the legal foundations for banning the Pride march. The government said the annual event could be held at an enclosed location like a stadium, out of sight of children. AFP | Attila KISBENEDEK The conflict over the Pride march has already sparked protests in Hungary. Thousands of people blocked bridges in the capital, demanding the ban be repealed. Several members of the European Parliament have said they will attend the parade. European equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib is also due to attend the march, as are ministers from several European Union countries, the organisers said. Attendees risk a fine of up to 500 euros ($570), which the Hungarian authorities say will be channelled into "child protection" projects.
Forbes
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
E.U. Makes It Easier To Tighten Visa-Free Travel In Schengen Area
Schengen Visa and Passport getty The European Parliament and Council have agreed on a provisional new system to restrict visa-free travel in the Schengen zone of free movement. With citizens of 61 non-EU countries currently enjoying visa-free travel, the proposed changes, which still need to be formally adopted, could have a significant impact on millions of prospective travelers, particularly those from countries who fall out with the EU over human rights and visa policy. What has been agreed is meant to make it easier for the EU to suspend visa-free travel for a particular third-country if there is some suspicion that country is abusing the 'privilege' or in some other way not honoring the agreement. The can include, according to the text from the Parliament, 'security concerns and human rights violations.' This security and human rights focus seems to be of particular concern for European policymakers. 'Visa-free travel to the EU benefits foreign citizens and the EU alike,' said Radosław Sikorski, Minister for Foreign Affairs for Poland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency. 'But if citizens of third countries abuse this advantage, the EU must have all necessary tools in place to correct the situation.' The text of the agreement appears to allude to the concept of migration as a form of 'hybrid warfare,' meaning it is worried that some countries with visa-free travel may become the source of an increase in irregular migration, deliberately provoked by countries looking to overwhelm the EU's asylum system and sow political disunity. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense given that Belarus - the current source of irregular migration as alleged 'hybrid warfare' - has had its visa-free travel suspended, and it is unclear how or why any other country which does enjoy the privilege would use their own citizens in such a way. More broadly, the new system would also make it easier to trigger a suspension if there is a sharp increase in asylum applications from citizens of a given country. It would also clamp down if a country has a so-called 'Golden Visa' system, where wealthy foreign nationals (i.e. Russians) can effectively buy citizenship of a country with visa-free travel and then get into the EU that way. Vanuatu, which has such a scheme, saw its visa-free travel exemption suspended in 2022, and subsequently revoked. The reformed system will also make it easier to suspend visa-free travel for citizens of countries involved in human rights breaches or non-compliance with international court decisions. According to Euronews, it is suspected this mechanism may be invoked against Israeli citizens, amid the ongoing war in Gaza, and also possibly against Serbia due to human rights issues there. Notably, part of the mechanism appears to allow for visa restrictions to be targeted against specific individuals, namely officials or legislators of a given country that may hold responsibility for human rights abuses. 'Visa policy can contribute to upholding EU values by ensuring that there are consequences when a foreign government breaches human rights and international law,' said Slovenian MEP Matjaž Nemec, after the new measures were provisionally approved. "In such cases, their government representatives and diplomats should have their visa-free access to the EU revoked, and this agreement makes that more likely.' The provisional visa agreement still needs to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council.
France 24
21 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Budapest mayor defies police ban on Pride march
Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to power in 2010, Hungary has passed a series of laws which have been criticised at home and across the European Union for curtailing the rights of the country's sexual and gender minorities in the name of "child protection". "The police, acting within their authority over public assemblies, prohibit the holding of the assembly at the aforementioned location and time," the police said on their website. Police said the ban was necessary under recent legislation that bans the promotion of same-sex relationships to under-18s. They said any appeal against the decision must be lodged with the central European country's supreme court within three days. Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony vowed to hold the gathering despite the ban. He said the police decision had "no value" because the march did not require official authorisation anyway, as it was an event organised by the city council. "Budapest city hall will organise the Budapest Pride march on June 28 as a city event. Period," he wrote on Facebook. On Monday he had announced that Budapest city hall would organise the march in an attempt to sidestep the recently adopted law. In mid-March, the Hungarian parliament passed a bill aimed at banning any gathering that violates an anti-LGBTQ law adopted in 2021. The 2021 law prohibits the "display or promotion of homosexuality" to under-18s. Pro-LGBTQ protests In its decision published on Thursday, police said that the march "by its very nature cannot be held without the representation" of people belonging to the LGBTQ community and that under-18s could be present along the route. "If it cannot be stated with absolute certainty that the display is not taking place in the presence of persons under 18 years of age, the assembly would be in breach of the ban," the police said. Hungarian lawmakers in April overwhelmingly backed constitutional changes that strengthened the legal foundations for banning the Pride march. The government said the annual event could be held at an enclosed location like a stadium, out of sight of children. The conflict over the Pride march has already sparked protests in Hungary. Thousands of people blocked bridges in the capital, demanding the ban be repealed. Several members of the European Parliament have said they will attend the parade. European equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib is also due to attend the march, as are ministers from several European Union countries, the organisers said. Attendees risk a fine of up to 500 euros ($570), which the Hungarian authorities say will be channelled into "child protection" projects.
