Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer will lead negotiations on a resolution that is expected to call on the European Union to instigate formal procedures against Hungary for breaching EU law.

Engerer will lead a group of MEPs to draft a joint resolution that will be discussed and voted on at European Parliament next week.

Hungary found itself in hot waters after implementing new discriminatory laws, which bans LGBTIQ people from appearing in educational materials for schools or TV shows aimed at under-18s.

Led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary was condemned for breaking a number of EU laws and for deviating from the bloc’s fundamental core values. It all came to a head when, prior to a Germany-Hungary matchup, UEFA turned down a request to illuminate Munich’s Allianz Stadium in rainbow colours in protest against the legislation.

“The European Union is no place for the politics of hate. The fact that Orban has introduced a Russian-styled homophobic law into the EU’s own legislative framework must be condemned, and punished,” Engerer said. 

Malta’s LGBTIQ Consultative Council also urged the government to condemn actions taken by Hungary, which it argues put members of the community in the country at risk of harm.

“LGBTIQ rights are human rights, in Hungary, in Malta, in the EU and all across the world,” Engerer concluded.

The Maltese MEP already confronted Orban earlier this year, tweeting out “homophobes in governments” after a number of EU countries, including Hungary and Poland, cracked down on the LGBTIQ community.

His response was praised by British actor Stephen Fry who stood in solidarity with the Maltese MEP in condemning Hungary and Poland’s homophobic legislation. 

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