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Hungarian parliament scraps Orbán-era anti-LGBTQ measures

Vote clears way for EU to release €4.2bn in frozen funds

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Hungary's parliament has voted to amend child protection laws, scrapping measures introduced under former prime minister Viktor Orbán that stigmatised gay and transgender people. The vote on Tuesday marks a further step by the new Tisza government of Péter Magyar to dismantle the legacy of the previous Fidesz administration.

Lawmakers approved changes to the 2021 Child Protection Law, which banned the "portrayal or promotion of homosexuality or transgenderism" and had wide-ranging effects on education and the right of assembly.

Tisza, which commands the same two-thirds majority Fidesz once held, bundled the measure into a package of laws designed to unravel Fidesz-era legislation, following Orbán's defeat in April's election.

Minutes after the vote, Budapest said the European Union had agreed to release €4.2bn (£3.5bn) in funds frozen during the final years of the Fidesz government. The European Commission said last month that the Magyar government had addressed a number of "rule of law breaches affecting the EU budget" and urged EU leaders to unlock the funds and readmit Hungary to two key programmes, Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe.

Tamás Dombos of civil rights group the Háttér Society welcomed the adoption. "We are very happy that this got adopted. We've been fighting this so-called child protection law for five years," he told the BBC. "There have been problems with the bill submitted to parliament, but most of those problems have been fixed."

The Budapest Pride march this year went ahead without restrictions, a year after the Orbán government tried to ban it. Activists have called for changes to other Orbán-era laws beyond Tuesday's amendments.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The vote removes a law that had become a symbol of the previous government's social policy and a recurring source of conflict between Budapest and Brussels.
  • The EU's agreement to release €4.2bn signals a possible reset in relations, with Hungary's readmission to Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe still pending.
  • It tests whether the new government can translate its two-thirds majority into a broader rollback of Orbán-era legislation.

Background

Hungary's 2021 Child Protection Law was passed by the large Fidesz majority then led by Viktor Orbán, banning the "portrayal or promotion of homosexuality or transgenderism" and affecting areas including education and assembly. After Orbán's defeat in the April 2026 election, Péter Magyar's Tisza party, which now holds the same two-thirds majority, began dismantling the previous government's legacy. EU funds had been frozen over rule-of-law concerns in the final years of the Fidesz government.

Key Perspectives

LGBTQ and human rights groups: Welcomed Tuesday's vote as the result of five years of campaigning, while noting that other Orbán-era laws still need to be addressed.

Tisza government: Presented the amendments as part of a package designed to unravel Fidesz legislation and repair Hungary's standing with the EU, including unlocking frozen funds.

Critics and skeptics: Activists have pointed to problems with the bill during its passage, and the full scope of the new package will determine how much of the old legal framework actually falls.

What to Watch

  • Whether EU leaders formally approve the €4.2bn release and Hungary's return to Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe.
  • The remaining contents of Tisza's package of laws and which other Fidesz-era measures it targets.
  • Any legal challenges or political pushback from Fidesz as the rollback continues.
  • Whether rights groups judge the amended law to have fully removed the stigma they campaigned against.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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