A central report aimed at strengthening fundamental rights within the European Union faltered on Wednesday in the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO), drawing sharp criticism from progressive factions. The so-called Zan Report, drafted by Italian Social Democratic MEP Alessandro Zan, was rejected with votes from the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), Germany’s CDU and CSU, and from right-wing and far-right groups.
The report sought to make the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights binding more firmly 25 years after its entry into force and to close gaps in the protection of minorities, particularly queer people. At its core, the initiative called for equal rights for queer individuals across all member states—for example in family law, in the recognition of parenthood, and in protection from discrimination.
A central aim was the cross-border recognition and legal safeguarding of rainbow families, including the rights of children across borders (for instance in relation to freedom of movement) – “regardless of how a child is conceived or what kind the family of the child is.” According to a report from the Italian press agency ANSA, the corresponding paragraph 9 in the draft report sparked the conflict that eventually led to the final vote’s 17–13 split in favor of rejecting the measure. With the committee’s failure, the report will not progress to Parliament for further consideration and a vote.
More rights, more effort and more sanctions demanded
The initial version of the report also urged “all member states to vigorously ensure the legal recognition of gender identity in official documents and the right to self-determination, to secure mutual recognition of gender identity, and to protect personal data.” It went on to call for a clear stance against “conversion therapies” as well as against hate crimes and hate speech.
Though the report would not have been binding in many areas, it proposed concrete political levers: EU funds should, in the future, be more closely tied to adherence to the rule of law and human rights standards, as well as to EU Court of Justice case law. The Commission should, when necessary, pursue infringement procedures and introduce a “rule-based and systematic enforcement model” to address violations of the Charter, the treaties, and Union law. These measures were described as “essential to preserve the credibility, coherence, and legitimacy of the EU.”
Even after “compromises,” no approval
“I’m bitterly disappointed that the EPP today chose to treat fundamental rights as a political tool,” commented the rapporteur Alessandro Zan on the “new low” of the report’s failure, noting that it “fell apart due to the EPP and the extreme right.” As the rapporteur, he said he had worked—in good faith—on 14 compromise amendments with the EPP, Greens, Liberals, and Left, and had kept the final vote despite the EPP’s revisions that removed essential elements, including provisions affecting same-sex couples and gender recognition. Even with the Social Democrats’ constructive approach, the EPP brought the report down.
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Instagram | From a “giant problem for democracy in Europe” spoke SPD MEP Gaby Bischoff, who chaired the committee meeting
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“With this vote, the European Parliament signals that fundamental rights do not matter to it. Responsibility for that lies solely with the EPP,” Zan commented, adding in another release that after voting with the far right on asylum and the Green Deal, the EPP under Manfred Weber is no longer a pro-European party. “The words of Friedrich Merz defending European values are now completely hollow: the EPP is celebrating its fiftieth birthday by allying with those who question these values every day.”
