Ban on conversion practices in the European Union

Practical information

Composition of the study group & calendar

Administrator in charge: Bartek Bednarowicz & June Sørensen Bedaton / Assistant: Maria Månsson

In response to the successful European Citizens' Initiative, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has adopted an own-initiative opinion calling on the European Commission to introduce a legally binding EU-wide ban on conversion practices by including such practices as 'EU crimes' and recognising them as hate crimes. The EESC strongly condemns any practices aimed at changing, suppressing or erasing a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, considering them incompatible with human dignity and in breach of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. The EESC calls for a comprehensive and precisely defined ban covering both children and adults, all public and private actors, and the advertisement of such practices. It recommends that the prohibition explicitly includes sex characteristics, in order to protect intersex individuals from non-consensual and non-therapeutic interventions. Survivors should be recognised as victims and granted access to specialised support. The EESC also urges for proportionate and dissuasive penalties, robust monitoring and enforcement, dedicated EU funding for training and awareness-raising, and the prioritisation of this issue under the LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030.