The European Union finally gives up on a common definition of the word “rape”

After months of debate, the European Union ultimately failed to reach an agreement. On Tuesday 6 February it adopts a first directive on sexual and gender-based violence. The aim is to harmonize criminal responses to genital mutilation, forced marriage, the disclosure of intimate videos or even online harassment inflicted on women and girls. But the issue of rape turned out to be much broader split.

No notion of “consent” in the common definition

Because it was necessary to adopt a common definition that included the notion of consent. That would have been enough for the victim “did not consent to the sexual act” So that the “crime of rape” OR “characterized”, according to the initial text. A directive desired by European Parliamentbut also SpainThere Belgium or even the Sweden. But many countries have opposed it, such as Germany, Hungary and even France – Emmanuel Macron to boot – believing that the EU has no competence in this matter.

Emmanuel Macron, which has made the fight against violence against women a “great cause” of its first five years, had been repeatedly challenged by elected officials – including by Renaissance – to give up this block. In vain.

Read also: France refuses to European Commission to include consent in the definition of rape

Therefore, after months of negotiations, this directive was finally abandoned. The European Parliament, which supported this approach, “I preferred to adopt half a law to act as quickly as possible in favor of women victims of other violence”told our colleagues of World the centrist MEP Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé.

For the Swedish MEP Evin Inciralso a negotiator” this directive will be a step forward, even if it will not be the giant step that we, on the side of Parliament and the progressive groups, would have liked to see »he declared to theFrench media agency.

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