The European Parliament has voted by a large majority to urge the European Commission to propose a standardised, consent-based definition of rape across all 27 member states — a move legislators described as essential to ending the uneven patchwork of sexual violence laws that currently exists within the bloc. On Tuesday, 447 of the parliament's 720 MEPs voted in favour of an initiative report in Strasbourg, with the chamber breaking into applause after the result was announced.
The resolution centres on the principle that "only yes means yes": all sexual acts require the explicit consent of all parties involved, whether expressed verbally or non-verbally. Crucially, it specifies that "silence, lack of resistance, the absence of a 'no', previous consent, past sexual conduct or any current or previous relationship" cannot be interpreted as agreement. While the resolution is politically significant, it is not legally binding — the European Parliament does not hold the power to initiate legislation, a right that belongs solely to the European Commission. However, supporters say it applies meaningful pressure, particularly as the Commission's equality strategy, presented in early March, had already identified the "only yes means yes" principle as a policy goal.
The vote comes after a previous attempt to enshrine such a definition failed in 2023, when a coalition of member state governments — including Germany, then under a justice minister from the liberal FDP — blocked it in the Council on the grounds that it exceeded the EU's competence. Currently, most EU member states have already adopted consent-based rape laws, but eight countries, including Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Italy and Romania, still require victims to demonstrate some degree of verbal resistance, physical force or threats. Germany and several others operate on a "no means no" model, under which rape is only legally recognised if the victim explicitly expressed refusal. Campaigners argue that high-profile cases, notably that of Gisèle Pelicot — the French woman whose husband was convicted of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious — have shifted public opinion and political will across Europe.
A significant obstacle remains at the member state level. Germany's current justice minister has also signalled reservations about the proposal, and given Germany's weighted voting power in the Council, progress without Berlin's support would be difficult. Polish MEP Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus and Swedish MEP Evin Incir, both from the Socialists and Democrats group and among the main architects of the initiative, acknowledged past failures but insisted that the political climate has changed. "We can't have the meaning of rape change as we cross from one border to another," Scheuring-Wielgus said, warning that legal inconsistencies could allow perpetrators to escape prosecution by moving between countries.
The stakes are underscored by troubling statistics: a 2014 EU-wide survey of 42,000 women found that one in 10 had experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, and one in 20 had been raped. Only an estimated 0.5% of rapes in Europe result in a conviction. Supporters of the resolution argue that harmonising the legal definition would not only deliver greater justice for survivors but position the EU as a global standard-bearer for women's rights at a time when those rights are under pressure elsewhere.