The European Commission has decided not to impose an EU-wide ban on so-called “conversion” practices sometimes used on lesbian, gay and bisexual people with the aim of “curing” them. These methods are broadly rejected by the scientific community and are associated with a high risk of suicide for those subjected to them.
These practices still occur in several EU countries, despite the UN describing them as cruel, inhuman and degrading and comparable to torture. Given what it sees as the limits of its legal competence, the Commission-responding to a European Citizens’ Initiative-has chosen to issue a recommendation to member states asking them to prohibit these practices rather than adopting an EU ban.
“Conversion practices,” said Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib, “are based on a lie: the lie that LGBTIQ+ people need to be ‘fixed’ or that there is something wrong with them. There is nothing to fix, nothing to cure and no one to change. You cannot torture a person to erase their identity, and you cannot legislate to do so.”
She added that these practices persist and are not marginal: one in four LGBTIQ+ people, and nearly half of transgender people, report having experienced them. “President Ursula von der Leyen entrusted me with a personal mission to fight conversion practices, and I have taken that mission seriously from day one,” Lahbib said.
Lahbib noted that in November 2025 the citizens’ initiative to ban conversion practices was submitted to the Commission. “We used the six months available to collect data, carefully assess the initiative and prepare our response. Today we are keeping our promise. The European Commission sends a clear and unequivocal message to all Member States of the Union.”
“Conversion practices must be banned immediately,” she continued. “We call on Member States to introduce a prohibition, through a Commission recommendation (which is not binding). This would send a strong signal that these practices are harmful and should be illegal. Member States have a key role to play, since much of this area falls within their responsibilities.”
“Eight Member States have already banned these practices, showing that it is possible,” she said. “We are building on that momentum and encourage others to follow suit. With this recommendation in hand, I will personally engage with ministers across the Union to end these barbaric practices. Our recommendation will protect all LGBTIQ+ people, especially the most vulnerable.”
The recommendation, the Commissioner explained, “focuses on conversion practices that try to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We will back it with concrete actions: awareness campaigns to prevent abuse, improved access to justice for victims, and training to strengthen medical and psychological support.”
Lahbib added that the recommendation “will be supported by our LGBTIQ+ equality expert group, which includes Member States and the Commission. Our first LGBTIQ+ political forum with civil society will focus on how we can work together to combat conversion practices.”
“We have also launched a specific study to fully understand the scope and impact of these practices across the EU. We needed facts, not assumptions; evidence, not impressions. Now we have both, and we are acting accordingly,” Lahbib concluded.