Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am really pleased to hear a united front in the Parliament on this issue but this is not about left and right. It is not about conservative views versus liberal views. It is about human rights. That is what this is about. This is why I agree with Deputy Griffin that UEFA showed cowardice on this issue.

It has done great work in terms of trying to stamp out racism in football, as indeed have many other sporting organisations. It is a natural extension of that to also be vocal around the need to protect and respect diversity and minorities in the context of sexual preferences and the LGBTQI+ community.

It was unfortunate. There was an opportunity for sport, while it was under the international spotlight, to make a clear statement on the need to protect minorities and express a concern about an EU country moving in a different direction. It decided not to do that because it regarded it as a political statement which should not be part of sport. Protecting people's human rights is not a political statement per se. It is what we are about in the European Union. It is the core of our value system. It is the foundation on which we have built this incredible peace, economic and environmental project, and all of the other things that the EU does together. It is what it is about.

There are certain core principles that we agree together to protect and enhance, not just within Europe but in other parts of the world. When one country is passing legislation that the rest of us feel is counter to that, we call it out. It does not mean that we do not have a good relationship with Hungary. It is part of a shared Union with us. We believe it is not acting in a way that is consistent with EU values on this issue, and we need to call it out.

As Members said, when we walk through Dublin during Pride month, we will see Pride flags everywhere. Buildings have promotional rainbow branding all over the place. Schools, businesses and Parliament buildings have flags because it is now part of who we are in terms of wanting to express nationally and internationally that we value minorities. We do not discriminate or isolate them in the way that they would have experienced in the past. We are public about that, and that is very much part of what the European Union should be about.

I welcome the comments. We will continue, in the appropriate way, to highlight our concerns and do what we can to try to force a rethink in the Hungarian Government in terms of its approach to this issue and from a Polish perspective also.

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