Did European Union Commissioner Nicolas Schmit acknowledge that the EU is withholding funds from Hungary because the country refuses to expose its children to what is referred to as LGBTQ propaganda? No, that's not true: Schmit did highlight four concerns with Hungary, one of which is the controversial child protection law, at a public meeting in November but the quote is taken out of context. This legislation prohibits children from encountering content related to homosexuality or "sex change."
The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) on November 15, 2023, under the title (translated from Hungarian to English by Lead Stories staff) "It became clear why the EU funds are withheld." It began (as translated):
There is nothing new under the sun, the EU Commissioner explained again that Hungary does not receive the EU funds that are rightfully due because it does not allow our children to be brainwashed with gender propaganda.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Nov 16 16:51:47 2023 UTC)
In the video, Schmit discusses Hungary's rule of law mechanism. This snippet is taken from the joint meeting of the Committee of Budgets and the Committee on Budgetary Control held on November 7, 2023. The quote is taken out of context. Schmit actually discussed four distinct issues related to Hungary, not solely focusing on criticism of the so-called child protection law. This is the full quote (as translated):
There are four areas of concern. First, the independence of Hungary's judiciary. Second, Hungary's law prohibits access to content that portrays, homosexuality, or sex change to persons under the age of 18. Third, serious risks to academic freedom in certain universities. Fourth, serious risks in relation to the right of asylum.
The European Commission has decided to suspend 22 billion euros in funds ($23.8 billion) allocated to Hungary due to concerns about the rule of law. This freeze will persist until the country fulfills specific criteria related to corruption, judicial independence, transparency and LGBTQ rights.
