The municipal executive’s private meeting saw a proposal, backed by the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas (PSD), responsible for culture, and the Councilor for Economy and Innovation, Diogo Moura (CDS-PP), approved. The proposal received support exclusively from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs Lisbon without an absolute majority.
The proposal gained approval with abstentions from PS and PCP, while other opposition councilors, specifically from Livre, Cidadãos Por Lisboa (elected within the PS/Livre coalition), and BE, opposed it, as stated by an official City Hall source.
The agreement in question concerns the terms and conditions for collaboration in hosting EuroPride 2025 and involves transferring funds amounting to 175,000 euros to Variações – Associação de Comércio e Turismo LGBTI de Portugal.
Opposition councilors expressed concern over “public controversies” surrounding the organization of EuroPride, which led several entities to withdraw from the project, alleging inadequate support from Lisbon City Hall (CML) for the LGBTI+ community’s march and gathering, traditionally supported by the municipality.
While recognizing the European event’s significance, the PS councilors voiced “serious concerns” due to the exclusion of the city’s LGBTI+ organizations from EuroPride planning. They emphasized “less than a month” until the event, with the “entire program” yet undisclosed, highlighting a “disproportionate” allocation of resources compared to other city initiatives, including the LGBTI+ Pride March.
The PCP chose to abstain, citing “insufficient” clarifications from the PSD/CDS-PP leadership and the refusal to postpone the vote, alongside concerns about the withdrawal of several entities from EuroPride 2025. They voiced apprehensions regarding divergences and doubts about the current organizer, Variações, noting the proposal lacked comprehensive information, including a “thorough assessment of non-financial support” anticipated to exceed 300,000 euros.
Livre expressed alarm at “irregularities pointed out to Variações,” leading to an audit by Turismo de Portugal, and associations like ILGA, AMPLOS, and Rede ex aequo withdrawing after initially supporting the bid.
Cidadãos Por Lisboa emphasized that hosting EuroPride “should not justify Carlos Moedas’s political choices, nor should it neglect fundamental initiatives and groups in the fight against discrimination, racism, and for LGBTI+ rights.”
The BE, advocating for EuroPride, said it was “forced” to oppose support for Variações. This association was recently headed by Diogo Vieira da Silva, “under investigation for misappropriation of funds, breach of trust, and fraud against Variações itself.” They accused Carlos Moedas’s leadership of turning its back on the LGBTI+ community, evidenced by multiple entities leaving the European event organization.
In response, the PSD/CDS-PP leadership, led by social democrat Carlos Moedas, stated that the collaboration agreement for EuroPride 2025 “in no way diminishes other planned city initiatives, nor implies a reduction in municipal support for them or the entities working in this field.”
