Equality and non-discrimination are core EU values and fundamental rights, enshrined in the Treaties and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. However, research by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) shows that discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, non-binary, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people persists across the EU.

The Commission presented the 'LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025' on 12 November 2020. This was the first ever full EU strategy in this area and is intended to build on the lessons learned from the European Commission's previous actions to advance LGBTI equality from 2015-2019.

In recent years, social acceptance of LGBTIQ people has declined in some Member States. In response to the backsliding of LGBTIQ rights in some EU countries, notably Poland and Hungary, MEPs declared the EU an “LGBTIQ Freedom Zone”.In 2021 Parliament “condemned in the strongest possible terms” the anti-LGBTIQ legislation and voted a resolution describing the Hungarian law as being in clear breach of fundamental rights enshrined in the EU Charter of fundamental rights, the Treaties and EU internal market legislation.

On 17 November 2025 the European Citizens Initiative “Ban on conversion practices in the European Union” was submitted to the European Commission, after having gathered 1,128,063 verified statements of support.

The ECI asks for the European Commission to propose a binding legal ban on conversion practices targeting LGBTQ+ citizens in the European Union.

The LIBE Committee hosts a Public Hearing on the European Citizens’ Initiative in accordance with Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2019/788 on the ECI, which provides citizens with a formal mechanism to bring policy proposals directly to EU institutions.