The protection of minors from pedophilia is “a very important matter, here we also need strict penalties,” said Edtstadler before the meeting with her EU counterparts in Luxembourg on Tuesday. But a link with homosexuality and the withholding of information for young people and children is “really worrying”.
At the same time, Edtstadler emphasized, “I’m a trained judge and I’m used to the fact that you first get all the facts on the table before you form a final judgment”. That is “the point today of the hearing under the Article 7 procedure” on Hungary.
The draft law was introduced by the Fidesz party of the right-wing nationalist head of government Viktor Orban and passed in parliament on Tuesday last week. Educational programs on homosexuality or advertising by large companies that declare their solidarity with homosexuals are to be banned in the future, as are educational books on the subject. Fidesz presents the law as protecting children from sexual abuse.
Hungary has been pilloried in the EU for years because of restrictions on minority rights, freedom of the media and opposition rights. On Tuesday, the European Ministers will again deal with the situation as part of a procedure that can theoretically lead to the withdrawal of voting rights at EU level.
Edtstadler also emphasized, with a view to the future conference, “how important it is to include the Western Balkans here”. There has been a lot of progress when it comes to enlarging the European Union, said the minister. But “further steps” are still needed.
Edtstadler also pleaded for “very close relations” with Switzerland and regretted the breakdown of the negotiations. Now we need “political will from both sides, we can ensure that at European level and I also hope that there is at Swiss level.”
