Cyprus joined another 18 EU member states to sign a common paper prepared by the Maltese government, calling for continued efforts within the EU to ensure full protection of LGBTI rights.
 
ILGA-Europe said the paper called on the next European Commission to ensure strong follow-up of the current EC LGBTI list of actions and adopt a coherent EU LGBTI strategy.
ILGA Europe is an independent, international non-governmental umbrella organisation bringing together nearly 600 organisations from 54
 
 
The signatory countries of the paper are Malta, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Slovenia, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Greece, UK, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, and Cyprus.
 
ILGA-Europe said it will build on this support and continue to work with member states and the European institutions to ensure that all ground set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights are equally protected in EU policymaking.
 
A strong commitment from the EC in the form of an LGBTI strategy for the next mandate will be key to close protection gaps for LGBTI people, it added.
 
The two main pillars of ILGA-Europe work are:
 
1. Advocating for human rights and equality for LGBTI people at European level, before organisations such as the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in particular in relation to asylum, hate crime and hate speech, education, employment, family, freedom of assembly, association and expression, health, legal gender recognition and bodily integrity.
2. Strengthening the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia by providing training and support to its member organisations and other LGBTI groups on advocacy, fundraising, organisational development and strategic communications and much more.