Hungary moves to amend controversial child protection law after EU court ruling
Hungary Plans to Rework Child Protection Law After EU Court Decision
Poinews.com – Hungary is preparing to revise its disputed child protection legislation after the European Court of Justice concluded that key provisions violated European Union law and harmed the rights of LGBTIQ+ people.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the planned changes would strengthen safeguards for children against violent and sexual material while ending discriminatory restrictions directed at sexual minorities. The amendments are due to be submitted to parliament later on Monday.
The move could mark a significant shift from the approach taken under the previous government led by Viktor Orbán, whose right-wing, Eurosceptic Fidesz party governed Hungary for 16 years before Magyar’s administration took office in April.
Law became a major dispute with Brussels
Hungary first adopted the measure in 2021, presenting it as legislation intended to shield minors from paedophilia. Later revisions connected depictions of homosexuality with material deemed unsuitable for children, effectively limiting young people’s access to content involving LGBTQ+ lives and relationships.
The practical effects extended beyond political debate. Books, newspapers and films were removed from shops, shelves and television programming because of the rules. LGBTQ+ rights organisations challenged the legislation internationally, while the European Commission began infringement proceedings against Hungary.
In April, the European Court of Justice found that the law breached EU rules. The court said the measure portrayed LGBTIQ+ people as a possible danger to society, infringed their human dignity and could deepen their exclusion from public life.
Magyar said his government now wants to retain tougher protections for minors without preserving those discriminatory elements.
“There is a good chance that the amendment of the law, in addition to much stronger protection of children, will also allow Hungary to avoid the fine,” Magyar said.
The proposal arrives while Hungary is also trying to improve a strained relationship with EU institutions. Disputes over rule-of-law issues, migration policy and access to EU financing have been central to tensions between Budapest and Brussels in recent years.
Funding is part of the political calculation
Magyar has made closer cooperation with both the EU and NATO a central priority of his government. In May, he reached an agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that released €16.4 billion in EU funds previously frozen for Hungary.
He indicated that changing the child protection law could help the country secure additional money, particularly for schools and education-related programmes.
“We could unlock half a billion euros for educational support,” he said.
The European Commission has not yet offered an assessment of the proposed legislative text. It said it was premature to judge the amendments before seeing their details, although it confirmed that officials remain in close contact with the Hungarian authorities.
That caution matters because the eventual outcome will depend not only on the government’s public commitments, but also on the exact wording approved by parliament and how it is applied in practice. For the EU, the central question will be whether the revised law genuinely protects children without treating sexual orientation or gender identity as harmful in themselves.
Pressure from earlier EU judgments
Hungary is already facing substantial financial consequences from another European Court of Justice case. In 2024, the court ordered the country to pay €1 million per day over systemic failures in its migration system, particularly restrictions affecting access to asylum procedures.
That penalty has so far cost Hungary about €1 billion. The migration ruling is separate from the child protection case, but it underlines the wider financial and political pressure facing the government as it seeks to resolve conflicts with EU institutions.
Magyar has placed child protection, healthcare and education among his administration’s principal domestic priorities. Recasting the controversial law gives his government an opportunity to argue that child welfare can be pursued through restrictions focused on violence and sexual content, rather than through limits aimed at LGBTQ+ representation.
For families, schools, publishers and broadcasters, the details of the amendment will be especially important. The previous legal framework affected what material could be offered to minors and created uncertainty for cultural institutions handling works that included LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
Possible change to same-sex adoption rules
Over the weekend, Magyar also announced plans to ease restrictions on adoption by same-sex couples. Such adoptions had been effectively barred during Orbán’s time in office.
Together, the adoption initiative and the child protection law revision suggest a broader reassessment of policies that had placed Hungary at the centre of repeated disputes over LGBTQ+ rights. Whether those changes satisfy the European Commission and the European Court of Justice will depend on the measures ultimately adopted.
Parliament’s consideration of the amendments will therefore be watched closely in Hungary and across the EU. The legislation could influence both the country’s relationship with European institutions and the everyday legal environment for LGBTQ+ people, parents, educators and cultural organisations.
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