Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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47. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding any support his Department has given, or plans to give, to organisations that seek to support LGBTQ+ organisations in Hungary; his views on the success of Pride celebrations in Budapest in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37245/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has consistently advocated for the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTQI+ people in Hungary. We have regularly raised our concerns about serious Rule of Law backsliding and the targeting of civil society and minority rights, both in EU fora and in direct contact with Hungarian interlocutors. Through the Enlargement and European Fundamental Values fund, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade supports several Hungarian civil society organisations that work to protect civil society space and LGBTQI+ rights.

In September and October 2024, the then Minister of State for European Affairs, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, met with representatives from Hungarian LGBTQI+ organisations to discuss the challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community, and to hear from community leaders as to how we can best support their work, as well as to reaffirm our appreciation for their resilience and dedication in protecting EU fundamental rights.

Ireland has continuously demonstrated our support for Pride celebrations in Hungary, working locally through our Embassy in Budapest to produce collective statements with like-minded partners in support of Budapest Pride. Ireland led statement coordination in 2021 and 2024, and fully supported the 2025 statement.

As the Deputy is aware, the Hungarian Parliament passed legislation in March that provided legal grounds to ban rallies and marches that depict or promote LGBTQI+ identities to minors. On the basis of these legislative amendments, the Hungarian Government declared the Pride parade, due to take place in Budapest on 28 June, illegal. However, I was heartened to see the parade proceeded under the auspices of the City Council, where between 100,000 and 200,000 people were reported to have marched in celebration of LGBTQI+ rights. I welcome the fact that the parade passed peacefully, and I fully endorse all EU citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly as enshrined in Article 11 and 12 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.