Dear Hungarian Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Ákos Kozma,
As Members of the European Parliament, we are gravely concerned about the adoption of article 33 of the omnibus bill T/9934 by the Hungarian parliament on Tuesday 19 May 2020 and its promulgation by President János Áder on 28 May 2020.
The before-mentioned article 33 will make it impossible to change a person’s sex in legal documents by requiring that documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates be changed to designate “sex at birth” instead of “sex”. This law will effectively deny access to legal gender recognition procedures to transgender and intersex persons in Hungary.
These developments raise concerns relating to transgender and intersex person’s right to be free from discrimination and right to privacy, running counter to European and international human rights obligations. Depriving transgender and intersex persons of having public documents (e.g. an ID card) that match their gender identity and expression will potentially expose them to further discrimination and create unnecessary difficulties and fear surrounding everyday tasks.
Council of Europe noted that “Hungary’s new law is deeply harmful, stands in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, and must not be allowed to come into effect. The relevant provisions must urgently be referred to the Constitutional Court for review, before they enter into force.
Taking the former into consideration, we urge you, in your capacity as Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, to submit the bill to the Constitutional Court for preliminary norm revision, in order to ensure its compliance with European and international human rights standards.
Yours sincerely,
Heidi HAUTALA, EP Vice-President
Fabio Massimo CASTALDO, EP Vice-President
Frederick FEDERLEY, Vice-President, Renew Europe
Alice KUHNKE, Vice-President, Greens/European Free Alliance
Ernest URTASUN, Vice-President, Greens/European Free Alliance
Gwendoline DELBOS-CORFIELD, Vice-President, Greens/European Free Alliance
Terry REINTKE, Vice-President, Greens/European Free Alliance
Marisa MATIAS, Vice-President, European United Left/Nordic Green Left
Marc ANGEL, Co-Chair, LGBTI Intergroup
Malin BJÖRK, Vice-Chair, LGBTI Intergroup and LIBE Committee Substitute
Maria WALSH, Vice-Chair, LGBTI Intergroup and LIBE Committee Substitute
Sophie IN’T VELD, Vice-Chair, LGBTI Intergroup and Renew Europe LIBE Committee Coordinator
Birgit SIPPEL, LIBE Committee Coordinator for the Socialists and Democrats Group
Cornelia ERNST, LIBE Committee Coordinator for the European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group
Abir AL-SAHLANI, LIBE Committee Substitute
Anne-Sophie PELLETIER, LIBE Committee Substitute
Delara BURKHARDT, LIBE Committee Substitute
Dietmar KÖSTER, LIBE Committee Substitute
Erik MARQUARDT, LIBE Committee Substitute
Hilde VAUTMANS, LIBE Committee Substitute
Isabel SANTOS, LIBE Committee Substitute
Olivier CHASTEL, LIBE Committee Substitute
Andreas SCHIEDER
Antoni COMÍN I OLIVERES
Arba KOKALARI
Aurore LALUCQ
Billy KELLEHER
Chrysoula ZACHAROPOULOU
Daniel FREUND
Eleonora EVI
Evelyne GEBHARDT
Francisco GUERREIRO
Irene TOLLERET
José GUSMÃO
Josianne CUTAJAR
Karin KARLSBRO
Kira PETER-HANSEN
Liesje SCHREINEMACHER
Łukasz KOHUT
Manuel BOMPARD
Margrete AUKEN
Maria NOICHL
Marianne VIND
Martin HOJSÍK
Milan BRGLEZ
Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ
Petra DE SUTTER
Pierre KARLESKIND
Radka MAXOVÁ
Rasmus ANDRESEN
Rosa D’AMATO
Sándor RÓNAI
Sandro GOZI
Silvia MODIG
Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN
Svenja HAHN
Read the full request to submit omnibus Bill T/9934, particularly article 33, which hinders the rights of transgender and intersex persons in Hungary, to the Constitutional Court for preliminary norm review.
