EU Commission unveils new strategy for LGBTQ+ equality

The European Commission announced its new LGBTQ+ Equality Strategy for 2026-2030, building upon the foundation of the 2020-2025 strategy to further advance the rights and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals across the European Union.

As reported on the European Commission website, the strategy aims to combat hatred, promote freedom and diversity, and ensure LGBTQ+ equality is integrated into all EU policies. Despite increasing social acceptance, LGBTQ+ people continue to face disproportionate levels of hate, violence, and discrimination, including harmful "conversion" practices. According to the Commission, almost 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ people have experienced some form of these practices.

The 2026-2030 strategy focuses on three key pillars: protecting LGBTQ+ people from violence, empowering them to live free from discrimination, and engaging society to advance equality.

Key actions outlined in the strategy include:

• Addressing Conversion Practices: The Commission will assess the nature, prevalence, and impact of conversion practices with the goal of proposing measures to ban them across member states, taking into account the European Citizens Initiative on the matter.
  
• Combating Hate Speech: The Commission plans to tackle online and offline hate speech by establishing a knowledge hub to monitor illegal hate speech online, enhancing the Code of Conduct+, and adopting an EU action plan against cyberbullying, with a focus on protecting LGBTQ+ youth.
  
• Promoting Equal Opportunities: Recognizing that discrimination based on sexual orientation costs the EU up to €89 million in GDP annually, the Commission will publish a report on the implementation of the Employment Equality Directive in 2026 and provide guidance on inclusive hiring practices.

The Commission also emphasized the importance of engaging with civil society and announced continued funding through the CERV programme until 2027, followed by the CERV+ strand of the AgoraEU programme, which will allocate up to €3.6 billion to uphold equality and non-discrimination.

The Commission is urging all member states to adopt their own national action plans or LGBTQ+ equality strategies and has offered its support in this endeavor. A mid-term review of the EU strategy is planned for 2028.

The LGBTQ+ equality strategy 2026-2030 is a key deliverable of President Von der Leyen's political guidelines and Commissioner Lahbib's mission letter. It builds on existing legislation, such as the binding standards for equality bodies adopted in May 2024, which strengthen the protection of victims of discrimination.