European Greens and SENS Romania have urged the Romanian government and the city hall of Oradea to allow the safe conduct of Oradea Pride 2026, a march advocating for the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community, according to a press release. The Council of Europe and over a hundred civil organizations from across Europe have made similar appeals in recent days.
The European Greens have joined the growing calls from across Europe and Romania to Oradea authorities, who have been accused of blocking the Pride march in recent years. This year’s Oradea Pride is scheduled for July 25.
“For four consecutive years, the local LGBTQIA+ organization Ark Oradea has been prevented from organizing a Pride march in the city. Public reports indicate that this year, local authorities intend to reject over a hundred proposed routes by the organizers, offering only a static gathering point instead, demonstrating that this is more than just an administrative issue,” reads a statement from the European Greens and SENS Romania.
“LGBTIQ+ individuals will not accept this suppression of their rights in Oradea, and neither should they. No municipality in the European Union should be allowed to create de facto ‘Pride-free zones’ through bureaucratic obstruction,” stated Vula Tsetsi, co-chair of the European Green Party.
“A Sign of Democratic Regression”
Europarliamentarians and Romanian politicians have joined the criticism.
“Banning the Pride march not only violates numerous laws and the European Convention on Human Rights but also signals a democratic regression that has no place in our Union,” said Kim van Sparrentak, a Member of the European Parliament from the Greens/EFA group and co-chair of the LGBTI Intergroup in the European Parliament.
“Romania cannot afford to become what Hungary has under Viktor Orbán’s government. We will not allow this at the European level or in Romania,” declared Nicolae Ștefănuță, a Romanian MEP and member of the Greens/EFA group.
“This is not a favor to be granted at the whim of a mayor or a local council. It is a fundamental right that public institutions are legally obligated to facilitate and protect,” added Florina Presadă, vice president of SENS Romania.
“Local authorities in Oradea must understand that a city cannot benefit from EU solidarity and funding while simultaneously ignoring the fundamental values of the Union and still credibly call itself a ‘European city’,” she continued.
Call from the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe has also sent a message to Oradea authorities in recent days.
“I am concerned about reports that the Pride March in Oradea in 2026 may again be hindered in Romania. The freedom of assembly is a right for all. Authorities should collaborate with organizers to ensure a safe and appropriate route and protect participants,” stated a message posted on the Human Rights Commissioner’s Facebook page.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, which represents local and regional administrations from 46 member states, has also urged local authorities in Oradea to allow the safe holding of the Pride march.
Recently, over 120 civil society organizations from 30 countries signed a public appeal requesting local authorities in Oradea to respect the freedom of assembly and ensure the safe conduct of the march.
Over 100 Proposed Routes
The ARK Oradea Association announced on June 25 that it submitted a notification for the Pride march at the earliest legal opportunity, proposing over 100 routes. Organizers explained that they aimed to eliminate the administrative arguments previously invoked by the City Hall.
The proposed routes include central areas as well as smaller streets near the center, avoiding sections where pedestrian traffic is blocked due to construction work.
Local newspaper Bihoreanul reported that the municipality is preparing to reject all over 100 proposed routes and may only allow a gathering at a fixed point on the outskirts of the city.
This initiative by ARK comes after previous years where organizers faced rejections from the city hall.
In 2025, the Oradea City Hall rejected all 11 proposed routes, claiming that seven of them traversed areas affected by municipal works, while the other four overlapped with locations already approved for other events.
Despite the refusal, hundreds participated in last summer’s first Pride march held on the city streets as an unauthorized protest.
The protestors were not allowed by the gendarmes to follow the proposed central route, leading to tensions on Aurel Lazăr Street. Subsequently, Bihor Gendarmerie announced fines totaling 19,800 lei.
