European Parliament Adopts Consent-Based Rape Definition Amid Rising EU Sexual Violence Reports

The European Parliament voted to back a common consent-based definition of rape, known as 'only yes means yes,' just after figures on sexual violence were released. Euronews reported that in 2024, France, Germany, and Sweden recorded the highest numbers of reported sexual violence and rape offences, while Cyprus, Malta, and Lithuania recorded the lowest.

The data highlighted an overall upward trend, with sexual violence offences increasing by 94% and rape offences by 150% between 2014 and 2024.

MEPs stated that consent must be assessed in context, including in cases involving violence, abuse of power, intimidation, or vulnerability. They demanded adequate support and protection for victims and survivors across the EU. The vote came shortly after the EU adopted minimum standards to combat violence against women for the first time in 2024.

A proposed article in those standards to create a common definition of rape was dropped after opposition from several member states. Euronews reported that more and more governments are recognizing the need for this approach, with France, Finland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands introducing consent-based laws since 2023.

European countries have different legal terminology and national legislation on rape, even though most follow a similar framework under the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention.

U.K. and Norway. In October 2025, the Latvian parliament voted to quit the treaty.

Right-wing politicians in Latvia complained that the Istanbul Convention promotes 'radical feminism based on the ideology of gender' and threatens traditional family values. President Edgars Rinkēvičs used his suspensive veto power to send the Latvian parliament's vote back for reconsideration. He argued that such a change in international commitments shouldn't be decided so hastily.

Latvia is due to reconsider the issue of quitting the Istanbul Convention in November 2026, following the country's parliamentary elections in autumn 2026. The Latvian parliament adopted a declaration asking the government to come up with a comprehensive national law to combat domestic violence, intended as an 'alternative' to the Istanbul Convention.

As an EU member, Latvia is bound by EU directives combating violence against women.

Those directives transpose many of the Istanbul Convention's protections into EU law, which Latvia must implement by June 2027, regardless of whether it sticks with the Council of Europe treaty. France ratified an amendment to add consent to the legal definition of sexual assault and rape in October 2025. The Gisèle Pelicot rape trial concluded in 2024.

In the case, 51 men were found guilty of sexually assaulting or raping Pelicot while she was unconscious, after being drugged by her husband Dominique over the course of a decade. Previously, rape or sexual abuse in France had been defined as 'any form of sexual penetration committed with the use of violence, coercion, threat or surprise'.

The trial drew widespread attention to gaps in consent-based protections across Europe.