Hungary Scraps Anti-LGBTQ+ Law as EU Unfreezes €4.2bn

Hungary's parliament voted on Tuesday to amend child protection laws and remove rules targeting gay and transgender people. The vote removes the core of a 2021 law that fueled five years of conflict between Budapest and Brussels.

The 2021 Child Protection Law banned the "portrayal or promotion of homosexuality or transgenderism." It was passed by the Fidesz majority under then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. BBC

The repeal passed under Prime Minister Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority — enough seats to rewrite major laws without opposition support. The amendments were part of a wider package to undo Fidesz-era legislation. Fidesz and its sister party the Christian Democrats voted against the amendments on Tuesday. BBC

Minutes after the vote, Budapest said the EU had agreed to release €4.2bn (£3.5bn) frozen during the Fidesz government. Frozen funds are EU money that was approved but held back from payment. The opposition voted no.

The vote follows a tense year over assembly rights. The June 2025 Budapest Pride march drew an estimated 250,000 people despite then-Prime Minister Orbán's promise to prevent it. Proceedings against the Budapest mayor and others for organizing the march despite an official ban were later dropped. BBC

The move was prepared in September. In September 2026, Hungary's government submitted a bill to remove anti-LGBTQ+ rules on the promotion of homosexuality. Reuters Prime Minister Magyar said his government would scrap 2020 legislation that had effectively banned gay adoption. Reuters

The broader context here is consolidation through reversal. With a supermajority, a government can rewrite predecessor laws directly rather than fight them article by article. Bundling changes into one package speeds passage and places clear responsibility on the current majority.

Looking at what this means for diplomacy, timing will get attention. The repeal and the reported release of EU funds were announced minutes apart. A repeal passed by supermajority can be reversed by a future supermajority, so enforcement and civic action, as seen with Pride, will shape results as much as legal text. The adoption restriction will be the next sign of how far the reversal goes.