Hungary - April 2023

President Katalin Novák, who is considered a loyalist of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has unexpectedly vetoed a bill on the protection of whistleblowers. However, the law includes a paragraph that enables people to report those who challenge the “Hungarian way of life”. Hungary’s constitution defines marriage as an institution between “one man and one woman”. This was considered another attack on LGBTQIA+ rights and same-sex parents. The president argued that the “protecting the Hungarian way of life” paragraph does not belong to the EU Whistleblower Act and that this weakens constitutional rights and fundamental values. Although the president has returned the legislation to the parliament, lawmakers can still decide to adopt it. Hungary’s crackdown on LGBTQIA+ rights has faced strong opposition, including the European Commission’s lawsuit over the country’s 2021 Child Protection Law, which was considered an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community. 15 EU-member states have joined the legal proceedings before its deadline on 6 April.

Sources: Euronews, Balkan Insight, Politico (1), Politico (2), European Commission