Top EU court rules Hungary, Poland can be stripped of funding for opposing ‘LGBT’ agenda
Source: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/top-european-court-rules-that-eu-money-only-given-to-countries-following-all-eu-laws/
Hungary’s Justice Minister slated the ruling as ‘a politically motivated judgment’ which was made in retaliation for the country’s opposition to LGBT promotion.
Wed Feb 16, 2022 – 2:40 pm EST
BRUSSELS, Belgium (LifeSiteNews) — In a decision announced February 16, the European Court of Justice ruled to permit removing millions in funding to Hungary and Poland in response to the nations’ opposition to the European Union’s pro-LGBT stance and expansion of power, stating that money from the European Union is dependent on adherence to EU laws.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) announced Wednesday that it rejected the challenge made by both Hungary and Poland against the European Union’s (EU) “conditionality mechanism.”
The mechanism was “adopted on an appropriate legal basis … and respects in particular the limits of the powers conferred on the European Union and the principle of legal certainty,” the court argued.
The mechanism itself “makes the receipt of financing from the Union budget subject to the respect by the Member States for the principles of the rule of law,” and as such would effectively make any funding from the bloc subject to alignment with the EU’s core “values” of the day, including LGBT promotion.
Adopted December 2020 by the European Parliament and European Council, the “conditionality mechanism” was separately challenged by Hungary and Poland, who argued that there was no “appropriate legal basis” for such a law, and that the EU had “exceeded its powers.”
The EU has long objected to the pro-family policies enacted by both countries. Hungary in particular has enacted a number of pro-family policies in recent months, opposing the advancement of LGBT ideology, which angered the EU.
The ruling by the ECJ thus puts any future funding to the two countries in severe jeopardy, though the final decision on whether the “conditionality mechanism” will be brought into effect now lies with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference that “Poland believes that centralization, bureaucratic centralization, federalization … is a dangerous process.”
Disagreements between both Poland, Hungary and the EU have already led to a delay in funds being provided to the two countries. Poland is still waiting for €36 billion from the EU, and Hungary for €7.2 billion.
In fact, the two countries are still waiting for EU approval of their post-COVID national recovery plans, which would allow them to draw from the bloc’s €750 billion fund. The “conditionality mechanism” could as yet be applied to these funds.
Both Poland and Hungary remain under intensified scrutiny as the EU’s Article 7 proceedings — which oppose a ban on LGBT promotion to children in the two countries — continues. The process has the potential to strip the countries of their EU voting rights.
The proceedings have been stalled during the COVID restrictions. However, the procedure has further been halted as it needs unanimous approval of all member states, and both Hungary and Poland have blocked the process against each other.