The Commission acknowledges that practices such as verbal abuse, coercion, isolation, forced medication, electric shocks, and physical and sexual abuse offer “no therapeutic value.” However, on Wednesday, the Commission announced plans to adopt a 2027 recommendation urging countries to ban conversion practices—a move campaign organizers consider a “missed opportunity.”
Through this recommendation, the Commission aims to highlight the critical role of Member States and support their efforts to ban conversion practices, encouraging legal bans throughout the EU, as stated in their communication.
Lahbib informed reporters that the responsibility chiefly lies with Member States and that binding legislation would require unanimity.
Currently, only eight EU countries have banned conversion practices. “They have shown it can be done,” Lahbib noted. “We are building on their momentum and urging others to follow suit. With this recommendation, I will personally advocate for an end to these barbaric practices with ministers across our union.”
The petition also requested the Commission to classify these practices as “eurocrimes,” serious cross-border crimes, and consider amending the 2008 directive on equality to include a ban on these practices.
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