Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the concerns he has at the cancellation of the Pride Parade in Belgrade, Serbia; and his views that such a disregard for freedom of expression and belief, principles which are at the core of the European Union, must be addressed on account of that country's desire to joint the EU. [43427/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I note with great regret the decision of the Serbian authorities to ban the Belgrade Pride Parade for the second year in a row on security grounds. The European Union is first and foremost a community of values based on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. These include freedom of assembly, freedom of expression and non-discrimination on the basis of gender, racial or ethnic origins, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

These are values upon which European Union is built, and it is essential that Serbia, as a candidate country for membership, respects them.

I would urge the Serbian authorities to fully protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in Serbia. Furthermore, I fully expect the Serbian authorities to investigate and bring to justice those whose threats and intimidation were judged sufficiently serious to ban the parade on security grounds.