The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it will not ban conversion therapy for LGBTIQ+ people, but will urge European states to do so. The relevant recommendation for member states to adopt bans on these practices at the national level will be issued by the EC next year, TASR informs, according to an AFP report.
- The European Commission will not impose an EU-wide ban on conversion therapies, leaving the decision to the states.
- Next year, the European Commission will issue a recommendation that member states ban conversion practices.
- Conversion practices purposefully change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTIQ+ people.
So-called conversion “therapies” include methods that aim to change the sexual orientation or gender identity or expression of homosexual, lesbian, queer and transgender persons.
Petition to ban therapies
The EC decided on the basis of a petition signed in May 2025 by more than a million requesting a ban on such practices within the 27-member bloc. Among the signatories were many public figures, e.g. and former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
“Conversion practices have no place in our Union,” assured the President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, when the EC’s decision was published. On this occasion, the European Commission hoisted the flag of the LGBTIQ+ community in front of its headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
Reaction of MEPs
Member of the European Parliament group for the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons, MEP Melissa Camara, called the EC’s reaction a step in the right direction. At the same time, however, according to AFP, she said that the EC is “too cautious” considering the “damage and trauma caused by these practices.”
The United Nations recently called for a worldwide ban on conversion therapies; she described them as discriminatory, humiliating and violating bodily integrity. Such practices are based on the idea that homosexuality is a disorder, AFP reported.
Powers of the EU and the states
However, Brussels argues that the EU does not have the power to ban these practices and that such a move would encroach on the competences of member states.
Bans on conversion therapies already apply in eight EU member states – Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta, Germany, Portugal and Spain.
