Hungary won’t back down and change LGBTQ+ and asylum policies criticized by EU, minister says
By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s government will not change policies the European Union believes infringe on LGBTQ+ rights and those of asylum seekers, even if doing so would unfreeze billions in funding the bloc has withheld from Budapest. The EU has frozen funds to Hungary over concerns that its right-wing nationalist government has trampled on minority rights and academic freedoms, failed to rein in official corruption and undermined democratic values. A government minister on Thursday said Hungary won’t comply with the EU’s demands on restoring LGBTQ+ and asylum rights because doing so would contradict the will of Hungarian voters.