A senior official of the European Union said that the member nations and lawmakers reached a provisional agreement on Tuesday (Jan 6) on the bloc’s first rules to tackle violence against women.
Vera Jourova, European Commission vice president for values and transparency, said on social media platform X, “We have an agreement on combating violence against women and domestic violence.”
She added, “For the first time ever, we criminalise wide-spread forms of cyberviolence, such as non-consensual sharing of intimate images.”
She, however, does not include a definition of rape after opposition from member states including France and Germany.
“EU legislators reached a provisional deal on rules to combat gender-based violence and protect its victims, especially women and victims of domestic violence,” the European Parliament wrote, further mentioning that the member states shall work to promote “awareness that nonconsensual sex is a criminal crime”.
Parliament and Council negotiators achieved an informal agreement that includes rape prevention measures, stronger cyber violence restrictions, and enhanced victim support.
For the first time, there will be EU-wide legislation criminalising specific forms of gender-based violence, as well as improved access to justice, protection, and preventative services.
Frances Fitzgerald, who is an Irish politician and has been a Member of the European Parliament from Ireland, said “For the first time, the European Union sends a clear message that we take violence against women seriously as an existential threat to our security.”
As quoted by the European Parliament, she further added, “Together, nearly 450 million people and three institutions say that we will not stand for it. While this Directive does not address everything that Parliament would wish to, including an offence of rape based on a lack of consent, it does make important strides on prevention, protection and prosecution.”
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But EU remains split over how to define rape
EU member states and lawmakers are sharply divided over how to define rape. During the discussions, the issue of a common definition of rape has proven to be the most controversial during negotiations to reach a final agreement.
The proposed text defines rape as the absence of unambiguous consent, which is backed by the European Parliament and more than a dozen nations, including Belgium, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Sweden.
But a dozen other countries, including France, Germany and Hungary, vehemently oppose defining rape in the text, arguing the EU has no competence in the matter.
(With inputs from agencies)
