European Parliament lawmakers voted on Tuesday in favor of a consent-based definition of rape. A total of 447 out of 720 MEPs approved a report advocating for a common definition based on the principle that only yes means yes.
The resolution urges the European Commission to propose legislation establishing EU-wide rules, stating that any sexual act without consent should be considered rape. Legislators described this as a crucial step toward addressing the patchwork of laws, some of which are currently insufficient, that exist across the bloc.
Legal definitions of rape currently differ by country, ranging from only yes means yes to only no means no. Eight EU members continue to include force or violence in their national criminal codes. These variations persist even among signatories of an international treaty that criminalizes rape based on the absence of consent.