The European Parliament has voted to call on the EU to adopt a standardised definition of rape based on consent, with MEPs backing the principle that “only yes means yes”. The vote, which passed with 447 of 720 MEPs in favour, would require member states to align their laws so that silence, lack of resistance or a previous relationship cannot be interpreted as consent.
Currently, eight EU countries – including Italy, Hungary and Romania – still require victims to prove they verbally resisted or were forced. Polish MEP Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus said a common definition would prevent the situation where a rapist could evade prosecution by moving across borders. Swedish MEP Evin Incir noted that only 0.5% of rapes in Europe lead to conviction.
The call follows the case of Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman whose husband drugged and invited men to rape her while she was unconscious. Scheuring-Wielgus said the case “shook the whole world” and highlighted the shortcomings of force-based definitions. France has since changed its laws to include consent, following similar moves in Finland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Whether the European Commission will act remains unclear, after several governments blocked a similar proposal in 2023. But Incir said that “times have changed” and that the Commission must now “take responsibility and promptly put forward a proposal”.
