Poland warned on Friday it could mount a legal challenge to the European Union’s decision to withhold funding to towns accused of setting up so-called LGBT-free zones, in an escalation of a growing row over the issue.LGBT+ rights have become a divisive issue in Poland, whose ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) says their promotion undermines traditional values.
President Andrzej Duda won re-election last month having pledged to ban same-sex adoption and school lessons that included discussions about sexuality or gender identity.That has led to tensions with the EU, which last month rejected six town twinning applications from Polish authorities that passed motions rejecting what they call “LGBT ideology” or defending traditional family values.Under the terms of the Europe for Citizens programme, EU towns can apply for grants of up to 25,000 euros ($29,600) as part of a Europe-wide twinning project.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had asked the European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli to clarify the decision, the government said in a statement.”Depending on the clarifications received, the government reserves the right to take further steps, including an appeal to the European Court of Justice,” it said. Dalli’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 100 municipalities across rural Poland have adopted “LGBT-free zones”, leading the European Commission to signal it might curb aid to areas that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
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