The European Parliament’s Committee on Gender Equality (FEMM) has succeeded in reaching a common position on the regulation of prostitution in the EU. At the end of a long voting session, the resolution tabled by Maria Noichl (S&D, German) was adopted with 16 votes in favour, 10 against and 3 abstentions.
Fifty compromise amendments and as many amendments were put to the vote on Tuesday 27 June. While MEPs agree on issues such as the need to develop “exit strategies” or to combat the marginalisation of sex workers, the criminalisation of clients is divisive, even within political groups (see EUROPE 13169/27).
In the end, a slim majority supported the opinion of the rapporteur, with the resolution adopted equating sex work with sexual exploitation and human trafficking. It urges Member States to “reduce the demand for prostitution” and notes that divergent national legislation on sex work in the EU creates “fertile ground” for human traffickers operating internationally.
The text then calls for the introduction of a “EU-wide approach based on the Nordic/Equality model”. This model, applied in Sweden in particular, penalises the purchase of sexual services with the aim of reducing demand and, ultimately, trafficking in human beings. However, it has been criticised by sex workers’ organisations such as the European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA), who believe that it increases the precariousness of the people concerned (see EUROPE 13108/21).
To protect workers, Ms Noichl’s report calls for more support for sex workers, guaranteeing their access to various services and to the legal system, as well as to associations involved in defending their rights.
The European Parliament will vote on this report at its September plenary session. In 2014, a similar resolution had already divided the hemicycle (see EUROPE 11027/28).
The consolidated draft resolution will be available here: https://aeur.eu/f/7rq (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)