The EU is once again facing mounting pressure to hold Hungary accountable for its ongoing erosion of democratic values and LGBTQ+ rights. On May 27, the EU’s General Affairs Council held its eighth hearing under Article 7(1) procedure as set out in the Treaty on European Union (TEU), a process designed to address serious breaches of the bloc’s core values. Yet seven years since the procedure was triggered, no concrete action has been taken.

This prolonged impasse has caused frustration among several EU Member States, including Ireland. With Hungary escalating its attacks on civil society, independent media, and the LGBTQ+ community, many are asking: how much longer can the EU wait?

What is Article 7?
Often referred to as the EU’s “nuclear option,” Article 7 is the mechanism through which any breaches of EU values can be addressed, including values such as the respect for human dignity, democracy, and human rights, as stipulated in Article 2 of the TEU.

There are two stages: the first is Article 7(1), a warning phase that allows for dialogue and hearings. If the situation escalates, Article 7(2-3) can lead to sanctions, including suspending the voting rights of a country in the Council of the EU. That, however, requires unanimous agreement among all other Member States; a political hurdle that has so far been insurmountable.

Why Hungary?
Hungary has been under the Article 7 microscope since 2018, when the European Parliament raised concerns about the country’s deteriorating rule of law situation under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. While a similar procedure against Poland was recently closed due to reforms under Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, Hungary’s case has dragged on, with eight hearings taking place in total over the last seven years, but no formal decision to move to the sanctioning mechanism under Article 7(2-3). Key concerns with regard to Hungary include threats to judicial independence, attacks on the press and civil society, and grave infringements on LGBTQ+ rights.

Pride banned, protesters outraged
The latest crisis in democratic backsliding came on March 18, when Hungary passed a law which effectively banned Pride parades in the country, including Budapest. Pride, and any public gathering that portrays “gender identity, sex change or homosexuality”, were banned, a move that sparked mass protests across the capital. The law amends existing assembly laws and expands surveillance tools, making it easier to identify and fine participants in banned events.

The law also bans public events that violate Section 6/A of the 2021 “Child Protection Act”, which prohibits what the government calls “LGBTQ+ content” in schools and media, drawing sharp rebukes from EU institutions and international human rights organisations.

In a significant development, on June 5, the Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice concluded that Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law violates EU legislation. While not binding, the opinion could influence future rulings.

New “transparency” law: silencing dissent
In another concerning development, on May 13, a new bill titled “Transparency of Public Life” was introduced in the Hungarian Parliament. Critics say it could be used to shut down independent organisations that receive foreign funding, including LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, under the guise of protecting “national sovereignty”.

Dubbed “Operation Starve and Strangle” by civil society and media organisations, the vote on the bill has been temporarily postponed after protests drew some ten thousand people into the streets. Amnesty International and other rights groups hailed the delay as a victory but warned that the threat remains. The European Commission has already warned that the law, if passed, would violate EU principles and pledged to take action.

EU patience wearing thin
Hungary’s increasingly aggressive posture has exasperated many EU capitals. Germany, Sweden, and Ireland have all publicly criticised the Council’s inertia on Hungary’s case.

Adding fuel to the fire is Hungary’s habitual use of its EU veto powers to block foreign policy initiatives, most notably in relation to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. Many see these vetoes as political blackmail that undermines EU unity. Despite the growing urgency, moving to the next phase of Article 7 and bringing actual sanctions remains politically difficult. It would require unanimous agreement among all other Member States, a threshold still out of reach.

The fact that only 20 member states, including Ireland, signed a Netherlands-led declaration in May expressing grave concerns about Hungary’s actions infringing on LGBTQ+ rights, highlights the extent to which member states are divided in pursuing action against Hungary.

What’s next?
While full voting suspension may remain unlikely for now, momentum is clearly building for bolder action. To date, the EU has used financial tools to apply pressure, withholding some budget funds through the rule of law conditionality mechanism. But civil society advocates argue that more must be done to protect Hungary’s embattled LGBTQ+ community as well as broader civil society organisations.

In the meantime, Budapest Pride remains banned, LGBTQ+ organisations are under increasing scrutiny, and the EU’s credibility as a guardian of human rights is being tested.

However, the organisers of Budapest Pride intend to go ahead on June 28 in defiance of the ban, and people from all over Europe are planning to attend in solidarity, including some MEPs from the European Parliament. Notably, at the time of writing, the European Commission is not planning on sending any delegation to the event.

The events taking place in Hungary, but also in some other EU Member States, restricting LGBTQ+ rights, have made one thing clear: Pride 2025 in the EU is sure to be every bit a protest as it will be a party.

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