EU warns Polish regions they could lose funding over 'LGBT-free' zones

FILE PHOTO: People attend the "Equality Parade" rally in support of the LGBT community, in Warsaw, Poland June 19, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

WARSAW (Reuters) - The European Commission has written to five Polish regional councils urging them to abandon declarations that they are "LGBT-free" in order to receive funding, one of the councils affected confirmed on Monday.

The European Union executive is at loggerheads with Poland and Hungary over issues ranging from LGBT rights to press freedoms. In July it launched legal action against both countries over measures it says discriminate against the gay community.