Dutch Politician Gerben Horst Heads European People’s Party LGBT Network

At its annual meeting in Brussels on October 15–18, 2026, EPPride elected Gerben Horst, a Dutch representative of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), as president of the European People’s Party’s (EPP) LGBT network. Swedish publication QX provides the meeting dates; the network published its account on October 21.

Horst previously served as EPPride’s first vice-president. The outgoing president, who represented Norway, stepped down after three years leading the network. The meeting also adopted two political resolutions addressed to the EPP and its member parties.

The first resolution, submitted by CDA Pride Netwerk, concerns young people’s attitudes towards homosexuality and school safety. EPPride plans to gather further information on the situation across European countries and then seek concrete action from parties to support LGBT pupils’ safety and acceptance.

The second resolution concerns free movement within the EU for same-sex couples and families with LGBT parents. The network urges the EPP to support continuity of parental status when families move between countries, regardless of differences in national recognition of same-sex relationships.

According to its organisational profile, EPPride brings together 11 organisations from ten countries linked to Christian-democratic, conservative and liberal-conservative parties. Founded in Berlin in 2013, the network has held associated-entity status within the EPP since 2023. Its role is to represent LGBT issues within the European centre-right party grouping.

Uránia previously covered lawsuits by two same-sex couples in Slovakia over the authorities’ refusal to recognise their marriages concluded in Austria. That dispute also concerns recognition of family status when moving between EU countries.