EP delegation presses Slovakia on rights position of Roma and LGBT
Ms Sophie in 't Veld (centre above) from the EP delegation speaks with the Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger (centre below). The EP delegation asked for better rights for LGBT people and Roma. Photo Prime Minister's Twitter account
Central Europe
The European Parliament’s monitoring group for Democracy & Rule of Law is concerned over the position of LGBT people and the Roma community in Slovakia.
The monitoring group (abbreviated with DFRMG) is led by the Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld and visited Slovakia on Friday. This was reported by Euractiv.
Although Prime Minister Eduard Heger lost a confidence vote later that day, he spoke with the group and tweeted about it. Reading the statements on Twitter, both Mr Heger and Ms In ‘t Veld seem to be happy with their conversation, notwithstanding their difference in opinion.
The EP delegation called on the government to step up its efforts in recognising the rights of the two groups. Special attention was given to improving the legal recognition of same-sex couples and their children. The group also asked for reforms in the field of transgender people.
Constitution
The Constitution of Slovakia describes marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman. Apart from that, there is no legislation for a civil partnership for gays. From opinion polls, it seems that 31 per cent of the population would support better recognition of LGBT rights.
Some weeks ago, there was a double murder in front of a queer bar in the centre of the capital Bratislava.
It is not clear what the impact of the visit is. Since the government is met with a vote of no-confidence, things will get slower anyway. Also, responses from other official sources give the impression that Slovakia sees this visit as purely political.
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