In a private meeting of the municipal executive, the proposal signed by the mayor, Carlos Moedas (PSD), who is responsible for Culture, and by the councillor for Economy and Innovation, Diogo Moura (CDS-PP), was made possible only with the votes in favour of the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs Lisbon without an absolute majority.

The proposal was approved with the abstention of PS and PCP, and the other opposition councillors, namely Livre, Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected by the PS/Livre coalition) and BE, voted against, an official source from the council informed Lusa.

At stake is the signing of the agreement on the terms and conditions of collaboration for the realisation of EuroPride 2025, as well as the transfer of funds to Variações - LGBTI Trade and Tourism Association of Portugal, in the amount of 175 thousand euros.

Opposition councillors expressed concern about the “public controversies” surrounding the organisation of EuroPride, which led several entities to abandon the project and denounce the lack of support from Lisbon City Council (CML) for the march and festival of the LGBTI+ community which have been organised for several years with the support of the city hall.

Despite considering the European event important, the PS council expressed “serious concerns” that the city’s LGBTI+ organizations were not involved in EuroPride and that, “less than a month from now, the entire program is still unknown”, noting that there is also “a disproportionality” between the resources and support provided for other initiatives in the city, including the LGBTI+ Pride March.

In favour of EuroPride, the BE said that it “was forced” to vote against this support for Variações, an association that was, until recently, chaired by Diogo Vieira da Silva, “who is being investigated for embezzlement of funds, breach of trust and fraud by Variações itself”, and accused Carlos Moedas’ leadership of having turned its back on LGBTI+ people, saying that this is evident with the departure of several entities from the organization of the European event.

In response to Lusa, the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, headed by social democrat Carlos Moedas, said that the signing of the collaboration agreement for the holding of EuroPride 2025 “does not in any way represent a belittling of other initiatives planned for the city, nor does it mean a reduction in the support that the municipality gives to them or to the entities that work in this area”.