The eyes of Europe are on Budapest this weekend. You are in the spotlight. And your city is shining in all its diversity.

This is a celebration of LGBTIQ people — here in Hungary and around the world. That is why it is so important for me to be here to celebrate together with you. It is also a celebration of the incredible diversity of humanity — all their colours, shapes, sizes, beliefs, and cultures.

Just as no two fingerprints are the same, no two people are the same. And to try to make them the same just doesnt make sense.

This diversity is the “soul” of our Union.

Over decades, we have built our European home — brick by brick. Now we will protect it — brick by brick.

Dear Gergely, I am sure you would agree, this is bigger than one Pride march in one European city. It is about the right to be fully ourselves — whether in Budapest, Brussels, or anywhere else.

As EU Commissioner for Equality, I am here today in Hungary — just as I would be in any other Member State — to uphold the values of freedom, equality, and human dignity.

I come to Budapest as a friend of Hungary. And between friends, you can be frank. We all joined our Union — not just for the Single Market but for the values we share — freedom, tolerance, and inclusion.

So I am also here to meet with ministers of the Hungarian government because it is important to engage, even when we dont agree. My message is clear: I refute the belief that the lives of LGBTIQ people are not of equal value to others.

The EU is not neutral on hate. We cannot stay passive. We cannot tolerate what is intolerable. Today our values are being tested — in Europe and around the world.

These attacks are part of a wider push to roll back progress and undo the rights that generations before us fought for. The right to gather peacefully is one of those rights — it must be protected and upheld across the European Union.

Anti-LGBTIQ laws and movements only lead to division, discrimination, and fear. Today, more and more LGBTIQ+ people are facing hate and harassment in their daily lives. This we will never accept.

That is why we will keep fighting to protect — and expand — the rights and freedoms of everyone, including our LGBTIQ+ community.

There is no going back.

We are going forward, by preparing a new LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy that will be ready later this year. This strategy will focus on tackling violence and hate-motivated harassment — online and offline — and putting an end to conversion practices.

There is still a lot to do, so we need everyone on board. That is why I am also meeting with members of Hungarian civil society to hear their concerns and express our full support for their vital work.

We are ramping up our support because civil society organisations are key partners in advancing LGBTIQ+ rights in the EU. We want to boost dialogue between the Commission and civil society and get them more involved in policy and decision-making.

We are putting a robust budget towards supporting civil society — over 1.5 billion euro — the largest ever dedicated to promoting EU values. We have already supported more than 5,400 civil society organisations across Europe and beyond.

You can count on me to be a strong advocate for equality and non-discrimination in our next EU budget.

Lasting progress will also be built on strong national foundations. We will therefore continue to work with our Member States to help develop their LGBTIQ+ strategies. Hungary, I am here to support you.

Today it is the LGBTIQ community. But tomorrow, it could be anyone else, for any reason, under any pretext.  Lets not be fooled, history shows us that there is always a “good” reason to discriminate.

Dear Gergely, thank you for your fight and for being so stubborn. And thank you for your warm welcome to the beautiful city of Budapest — even more beautiful in the colours of Pride.