New LGBTIQ+ Strategy fails to match the scale of the threats

Forbidden Colours welcomes the Commission’s words about defending LGBTIQ+ people and EU values, but the new LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy (2026–2030) does not meet today’s reality.

Europe faces organised, well-resourced anti-rights actors inside and outside the Union; bans, censorship and intimidation are spreading. Yet the proposed strategy falls short of matching the scale of the threats and presents no tools to really address the challenges.

While the situation worsens for LGBTIQ+ people and communities throughout the EU, the new strategy offers soft coordinationin place of enforcement, vague intentionsinstead of clear commitments, and no concrete EU plan to counter anti-rights actors from within.

We call again on the European Commission to find the courage to fight alongside us for a true Union of Equality and to deploy all the tools at its disposal to really protect LGBTIQ+ citizens throughout the EU

We agree with the diagnosis — now the Commission must act like the Guardian of the Treaties

We fully agree with the words of EU Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbibstating this morning that the European Union must remain a lighthouse for human rights and that the Union—especially the European Commission—has the duty to protect EU values, democracy and the rule of law.

We welcome that the Commission recognises in the strategy that the right to peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and that, within its competences, it is committed to defending and upholding it at all times.

We also welcome the reminder that, as “guardian of the Treaties,” the Commission will monitor Member States’ compliance with EU law, use all instruments to protect EU values and not hesitate to actwhere appropriate.

Finally, we acknowledge the Commission’s assessment that LGBTIQ+ people are increasingly targeted by anti-gender narratives online, often linked to foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation. However, we stress here that anti-gender actors are not only foreign: they are deeply embedded within the EU, active in every Member State, and deliberately undermining rights and democracy.

The problem: strong words, weak tools — and no clear commitment to act

Despite the right words, the strategy does not provide the instruments to implement them. We see:

• No clear commitment to use legal action systematically and without delay when rights and freedoms are violated.
• No EU plan to confront anti-gender actors inside the Union with monitoring, resourced counter-measures and protection for targets.
• Reliance on soft policy tools and process-heavy coordination that cannot stop bans, censorship or intimidation.

Rémy Bonny, Executive Director, Forbidden Colours: 

“We welcome the Commission’s new LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy — but let’s be honest: this is too little, too late. Europe is under coordinated attack from an anti-gender movement that is fundamentally anti-democratic and imports Putin’s authoritarian worldview straight into the EU through governments like those in Hungary and Slovakia. A few nice words won’t stop that.

The gap between rhetoric and action has immediate consequences. In Hungary, a “Pride-ban” has been in place for more than six months; two Pride events have already been prohibited putting participants and organisers at risk of fines and prison.

Yet, as mentioned in the press briefing on 2 October 2025, the Commission is still at the stage of “assessing” the situationinstead of launching infringement proceedings and seeking urgent court measures to protect EU citizens’ freedom of assembly. A strategy that cannot trigger automatic protection when Prides are banned fails its core purpose.

From words to protection: our three demands to the European Commission

Today, we call again on the Commission to really act as the as the Guardian of the Treaties and to use the legal tools at its disposal to protect EU values and fundamental freedoms by taking legal action systematically and without delay against Member States that attack those values and freedoms. This is the Commission’s core duty.

Regarding the upcoming EU budget, we welcome the Commission proposal to ensure that all National and Regional Partnership Plans enshrine strong safeguards for the rule of law and the effective application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rightsthroughout implementation. However, we request that these financial conditionalities must be extended to all EU programmes and all EU funding under the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Finally, we welcome the increased budget for the AgoraEU programme. Yet, we now demand a clear commitment that this growth will translate into priorities centred on the fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ people, including dedicated support for projects that address the threat posed by anti-gender and anti-rights movements—especially at the intersection of democracy, the rule of law and LGBTIQ+ rights.

Vincent Reillon, Senior Advocacy Officer, Forbidden Colours:

What we need is real money, real strategy, and real courage. The Commission must stop dusting off old, failed initiatives and finally treat these attacks not just as equality issues, but as threats to our democracy and security. It already has the tools — infringement procedures against Hungary’s Pride ban, Slovakia’s constitutional changes, and Bulgaria’s propaganda law — but refuses to use them.

Rémy Bonny, Executive Director, Forbidden Colours: 

“If Brussels thinks a white paper will stop a well-funded, foreign-backed authoritarian movement, it’s deluding itself. This strategy can only be a starting point. Now we need action.”