The European Parliament has welcomed the European Union's adoption of a toolkit to promote and protect gay and lesbian rights, this week.

The document, prepared by the intergovernmental EU body in consultation with civil society organisations, outlines what the European Union should be doing abroad to defend the human rights of gay people.

Among other recommendations, the toolkit calls on EU diplomats, the future European External Action Service (EEAS) and EU Member States to actively work towards the decriminalisation of same-sex relations throughout the world; to further denounce discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity; and to support human rights defenders in repressive areas.

Ulrike Lunacek MEP, Co-president of the Intergroup on LGBT Rights and the Greens/EFA Group’s Coordinator for Foreign Affairs, reacted: “The Council’s Working Party on Human Rights is showing some leadership in the area of human rights for LGBT people, which I applaud. This is a very welcome tool, and one that the Commission, Council, and the European External Action Service should start using as soon and as often as possible, for instance by supporting LGBT human rights defenders in Moscow and St Petersburg.”

Michael Cashman, co-president of the Intergroup on LGBT Rights, added: “For the first time, the Council has taken an excellent and long-lasting initiative for LGBT people’s human rights abroad. We will be with them along the way to ensure that Catherine Ashton’s European External Action Service and other relevant EU institutions follow these important guidelines—starting with their work with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.”

The toolkit will be reviewed every three years by the council.

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