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Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia are hoping to join the European Union, but the EU commission has reminded the trio of countries that each applicant must support rights for all minorities before inclusion can be considered. Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia aren't quite there yet.
The UKGayNews reports:
The three candidate countries were reminded that the protection of all minorities is a non-negotiable condition to access the European Union.
“I am happy that our amendments in favour of LGBT rights in the progress reports for Macedonia and Croatia were adopted by the European Parliament,” Ulrike Lunacek MEP, co-president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, said this evening.
The report on Croatia conveys the European Parliament’s concern about the 2009 de facto ban on Zagreb Pride, and calls on the government to effectively implement and enforce protection against discrimination.
The report on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia expresses the European Parliament’s regret that the proposed new anti-discrimination legislation does not cover sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds of discrimination, and calls on the Government to bring their anti-discrimination legislation in line with EU standards.
Finally, the European Commission’s progress report on Turkey’s accession points to the shortcomings of the Turkish penal code, allowing for the systematic persecution of LGBT minorities and the limitation of their freedom of assembly.
(via JoeMyGod)
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