EU takes legal action against Hungary, Poland over LGBTQ rights

The legal cases could eventually land the two member states in the bloc’s highest court.

The European Commission has launched legal action against the governments of European Union members Hungary and Poland in response to measures seen as discriminating against LGBTQ citizens. As the “guardian of the treaties” binding the EU together, the commission, which is the executive branch of the bloc, can launch infringement procedures against member states. Such a procedure involves several steps and could drag out over years but could ultimately result in going to the European Court of Justice, which could impose financial penalties. Both Hungary and Poland are ruled by right-wing, socially conservative governments whose policies have raised rule-of-law questions.