This month, the European Commission released its LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030, marking a renewed and ambitious step in the European Union’s commitment to equality, inclusion, and human rights. Building on the 2020-2025 framework, the strategy reaffirms the goal of making “a Union of Equality” a lived reality, while confronting the surge in anti-LGBTIQ rhetoric and violence across Europe and beyond.
The strategy aims to strengthen the EU’s legal and policy framework against discrimination. It calls for the full implementation of the Equal Treatment Directive and stronger safeguards against hate speech, hate crimes, and harmful “conversion practices.” Additionally, it reinforces commitments to inclusive education, equitable health care, and recognition of diverse families across member states.
By embedding LGBTIQ+ equality in EU external action, the strategy positions the EU as a global defender of LGBTIQ+ rights. Through instruments like the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, the EU pledges continued funding for human rights defenders and civil society worldwide. This makes equality a pillar of EU development and foreign policy.
These commitments come at a crucial time, especially as the EU negotiates its next seven-year budget amid cuts to foreign aid that are adversely affecting LGBTIQ+ organizations globally. Within the EU, crackdowns on LGBTIQ+ rights in countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria highlight the Union’s mixed record and underscore the need for more decisive action by the European Commission to hold member states accountable.
These troubling trends reflect a global backlash characterized by the spread of anti-LGBTIQ+ and anti-gender narratives, the criminalization of same-sex relations, and the targeting of transgender people. The new EU strategy seeks to anchor LGBTIQ+ equality as essential to democratic resilience, linking internal coherence with external credibility.
Despite these promising steps, challenges persist. The successful implementation of the strategy will depend heavily on member states’ political will, and current enforcement mechanisms remain limited. Furthermore, while external funding is vital, ensuring it reaches grassroots actors operating in repressive environments will require greater flexibility and the establishment of direct-access mechanisms.
Overall, the LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030 reaffirms the EU’s aspiration to be a global human rights leader. It sends a clear message: protecting LGBTIQ+ rights is central to democracy, social justice, and the EU’s identity both at home and abroad.
The EU and its member states must honor the ambitions articulated in this strategy through political and financial decisions, domestically and on the international stage.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/20/eu-launches-new-lgbtiq-strategy
