"LGBT-free zones" cost Poland subsidies
Several Polish municipal and county governments have passed resolutions proclaiming themselves as so-called "LGBT ideology-free zones". The EU Parliament had already condemned such declarations in December 2019. Now for the first time the EU Commission has rejected applications for local funding from the places concerned. Can Brussels stop discrimination with this approach?
EU finally taking a stand
Gazeta Wyborcza is delighted about the criticism from Brussels:
“The EU is starting to punish its members for violating fundamental rights. Little money is at stake at the moment. Two partner cities can receive up to 25,000 euros from the Europe for Citizens programme for cross-border meetings, discussions about the future of the EU and combating stereotypes. However if the EU Commission has decided that the mere introduction of 'LGBT-free zones' by Polish municipal officials is sufficient reason to turn off the money tap, why shouldn't it take a similar view of the requests from Polish municipalities for funding larger investments or programmes?”
These paltry sums are worth it
Poland's traditional values are more important than small amounts of EU funding, wPolityce.pl writes:
“We will see whether municipal authorities collapse under the pressure from EU officials and liberal media. Are small grants, mainly intended for visits by local government officials to partner cities, joint meetings or cultural and sports exchanges, so important that they warrant giving up traditional national and state values? ... Local politicians should now be supported by the national government. Not only with statements, enquiries to the EU Commission and expressions of indignation about the decision of the EU Commissioner, but perhaps also in the form of funding (if this is formally possible) that they receive for the promotion of precisely these values.”