The European Parliament has urged the European Union to establish a unified definition of rape centered around the absence of consent. This move aims to address the inconsistencies in national laws across member states.
In a recent vote, 447 out of 720 Members of the European Parliament supported the proposal for a common definition that adheres to the principle of “only ‘yes’ means ‘yes.'”
“Silence, lack of resistance, absence of the word ‘no,’ prior consent, previous sexual behavior, or any current or past relationships should not be interpreted as consent,” stated the Parliament following the vote.
Polish MEP Joanna Schoyring-Welgus emphasized that a standardized definition would compel EU nations to align their laws with international standards.
“We cannot allow the meaning of rape to change when crossing borders. We cannot have a situation where a rapist who assaulted a woman in Germany can move to Hungary and evade accountability due to legal discrepancies. This report addresses that issue,” she explained.
In recent years, most EU countries have adopted consent-based definitions of rape in their criminal codes. However, eight member states still require victims to demonstrate that they resisted verbally, physically fought back, or faced coercion.
The report also notes that in 2023, several EU governments collaborated to block efforts to create a unified definition of rape, arguing that such measures exceed the EU’s authority.
The European Parliament has called for a standardized definition of rape based on consent, aiming to harmonize laws across EU member states. This initiative addresses current legal disparities that allow offenders to escape justice by crossing borders.