EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Hacja Lahbib will attend tomorrow's gay pride parade in Budapest, the European Commission confirmed today, BTA reports.
She is expected to join the start of the event, which the Hungarian government has officially banned.
The EU Commissioner's program also includes meetings with representatives of civil society and local authorities, including the parade organizers and the mayor of Budapest.
In a statement, Lahbib said she was traveling to Budapest in solidarity with the LGBT+ community and in defense of European values. "As the European Commissioner for Equality, I stand shoulder to shoulder with LGBT+ people on this day. The right to be who you are, to love who you want and to stand up for your rights are fundamental freedoms in the EU," she stressed.
According to her, generations of Europeans have built values related to openness and progress that must be protected. "This is about who we are as Europeans," the European Commissioner said.
Earlier today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Hungarian authorities not to prevent the parade from taking place. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán responded that there would be "legal consequences" for not respecting the ban. MEPs are also expected to join the march in Budapest.