The European Commission is urging European Union member states to implement national bans on practices intended to change sexual orientation or gender identity.
This move represents a significant step toward standardizing LGBTQ rights across the bloc, as the EU seeks to eliminate what it describes as harmful and barbaric practices.
The commission will issue a formal recommendation next year [2] asking all member states to adopt national laws prohibiting these conversion practices. This action follows a massive public push for protection, including a petition that gathered over 1 million signatures [1] in May 2025.
While the commission is pushing for a widespread ban, the current approach relies on a recommendation rather than a mandatory EU-wide directive. This distinction means the commission is asking member states to outlaw the practices, a move that some advocates argue falls short of the binding, bloc-wide ban they originally demanded.
The effort aims to protect LGBTQ individuals from the psychological and physical harm associated with attempts to alter their identity. The commission's push for these bans is centered in Brussels, the administrative heart of the union.
Because the recommendation is slated for 2027 [2], the immediate focus remains on coordinating with individual nations to align their legal frameworks. The commission said the goal is to ensure that the fundamental rights of all EU citizens are upheld regardless of their country of residence.
“The European Commission will issue a recommendation next year asking all member states to adopt national bans.”
The use of a 'recommendation' rather than a 'directive' indicates that the EU is opting for a diplomatic approach to influence national laws rather than imposing a mandatory legal requirement. This suggests the Commission is navigating varying levels of political will among member states while still attempting to establish a human rights benchmark for the entire union.
