Helena Dalli recently celebrated her first anniversary as a European Commissioner and as first years in office go, 2020 has thrown more than its fair share of curveballs. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately hit women, racial minorities, disabled people and those living in poverty. This in turn has shone a powerful spotlight on the woman tasked with tackling social, gender and racial disparities, among others, in a European Union predicated on equality as a fundamental right.
Dalli recently launched the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy, which strongly emphasises that LGBTIQ rights are human rights. Yet notably in Poland the human rights of LGBTIQ people are routinely trampled on and dismissed, and the country even has areas that are deemed “LGBTI-free zones.”
Asked what the EU can practically do about this, beyond condemning such flagrant violations of human rights, Dalli stresses that being LGBTIQ is not an ideology, but rather an identity. She says, “Over the past months, the Commission has strongly condemned the so-called ‘LGBT ideology-free zones’ in Poland. The European Commission will continue to closely monitor the situation in Poland to ensure respect for EU law, including in the implementation of EU-funded projects."
"At the same time, I will work to build an open dialogue with my Polish counterparts to end the climate of growing hostility and attacks against LGBTIQ people in Poland. The Commission stands ready to support Polish authorities in combatting discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation.”
Looking specifically at how EU funds managed by Member States have to benefit all EU citizens, she adds, “This is without any form of discrimination on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Through rigorous monitoring, both the Commission and Member States must ensure that EU funds contribute to equality and that all EU-funded projects comply with EU law, including the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. If projects violate EU anti-discrimination rules, funding may be suspended or withdrawn.”