The European Commission’s Recommendation Must Become a Turning Point Toward Banning Conversion Practices Across the EU
The Commission’s Commitment
On 13 May 2026, the European Commission adopted a Communication responding to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) ‘Ban on Conversion Practices in the European Union'. The ECI was led by our Member ACT — Against Conversion Therapy and collected over 1.1 million verified signatures across the European Union in one of the most powerful — and most importantly, youth-led — campaigns in recent years.
In its response, the Commission committed to adopt a Recommendation in 2027 calling on all EU Member States to ban conversion practices in their national legal systems. The Recommendation is also expected to include wider measures, such as support for victims and survivors, access to justice and compensation, training for mental health and medical practitioners, and follow-up with Member States on how they implement it.
Recognising Survivors’ Harm and the Need for Urgent Protection
We know that, for many survivors and LGBTQI people, this response is painful and disappointing. Conversion practices are not an abstract policy issue. They are harmful, degrading practices that leave long-lasting psychological and physical damage to many of us. Survivors, young people, and communities across Europe have every reason to expect urgent, binding protection.
We know conversion practices are extremely harmful to children and young people, and share the belief that they must be banned everywhere in Europe. We also recognise the frustration that the Commission has not proposed a binding EU-wide law at this stage.
Why a Recommendation Matters?
At the same time, we understand the Commission’s response and believe its commitment still creates real pressure for change. Welcoming this step does not mean believing it is enough. It means recognising that, within the current EU legal and political context, a Recommendation can be adopted and used now to push Member States to act.
A Commission Recommendation does not require unanimous approval from the Council, where equality files have often been blocked for years. The Commission itself recalls that the Equal Treatment Directive has been under discussion in Council for almost 18 years without agreement. This matters because unanimity is extremely difficult to achieve on equality issues, and even more so in the current political context, where LGBTQI rights —and especially the rights of trans, non-binary and intersex people— are increasingly under attack across Europe.
This is particularly important because some possible EU legislative routes would require unanimity in the Council before binding action could move forward. In practice, this could lead to years of blockage, a very narrow legal proposal, or a compromise that does not fully protect everyone affected by conversion practices.
A weak, blocked, or incomplete EU-level law would not protect survivors. Nor would a law that only covers some LGBTQI people while leaving others behind.
For this reason, the Commission’s commitment to a Recommendation can be one of the most effective actions available at this stage to support national bans, encourage stronger protections, and build the political and legal ground for binding EU action in the future.
What Should the Recommendation Include?
This is why the upcoming Recommendation, and the study that will inform it, are so important. The Commission has announced that the Recommendation will build on good practices from existing national bans, be supported by structured dialogue with Member States and stakeholders, and be underpinned by a study on conversion practices, including aspects such as coercion and pressure. The Commission has also announced that the first LGBTIQ+ policy forum will focus on conversion practices, creating an important space for civil society, survivors, young people and experts to contribute to this work.
Given the possible legal bases that the European Union may use to legislate on conversion practices, there exists the possibility that legislation might focus solely on the ground of “sexual orientation” and fail to protect trans, non-binary, and intersex people. This could leave those who are among the most affected by conversion practices without explicit protection. It could also create space for harmful interpretations at national level.
It is crucial that the Recommendation explicitly covers conversion practices targeting sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. In recent years, anti-trans actors have tried to misuse the language of “conversion practices” to attack gender-affirming healthcare and affirmative psychosocial support. The Commission must ensure that its work cannot be misused in this way.
For IGLYO, it is also essential that both the study and the Recommendation fully reflect the realities of children and young people. Young LGBTQI people are among those most exposed to conversion practices, often in contexts where they have less power, less autonomy, and fewer possibilities to seek support safely. Any EU action must therefore include clear provisions on the protection of children and young people, survivor-centred support, prevention, access to justice, safe and accessible reporting mechanisms, child-sensitive support services, and safeguards against practices carried out in families, schools, healthcare, mental health services, community settings, and other environments where young people may be placed under pressure.
The study must also meaningfully examine how conversion practices affect children and young people, including the role of coercion, family pressure, dependency, isolation, misinformation, and barriers to accessing support. Without this focus, EU action risks missing the realities of those who are often most exposed and least able to seek help.
This work is also in line with the EU LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030, in which the Commission committed to take action against conversion practices, with a particular focus on supporting Member States, who play a critical role in this area. The Recommendation and study must now turn that commitment into concrete protection.
The Way Forward
Today, only eight EU Member States have adopted laws banning conversion practices. The Commission’s Recommendation must: help accelerate this trend; support all remaining Member States to adopt strong, inclusive, and effective bans; and create a clear framework for monitoring implementation and holding Member States accountable if concrete measures are not being taken.
We believe that a strong Recommendation can help Member States adopt national bans that protect everyone, including trans, non-binary, and intersex children and young people. It can also help ensure that bans are not only symbolic, but are accompanied by training, survivor support, monitoring, implementation, and accountability.
IGLYO commends ACT — Against Conversion Therapy for leading such a powerful campaign and proving once again the importance of youth participation in democratic processes. We stand in solidarity with survivors of conversion practices and with all those who are disappointed that the Commission has not proposed binding legislation at this stage.
Welcoming this Recommendation does not mean accepting that it is enough. It means recognising it as a tool we can use now to push every Member State to act, to protect LGBTQI children and young people, and to build the political and legal ground for stronger binding protection in the future.
IGLYO stands ready to support the Commission in this process. We call on the Commission to work closely with survivors, youth organisations, LGBTQI civil society, mental health experts, and Member States to ensure that the upcoming study and Recommendation are ambitious, inclusive, and firmly centred on the protection of those most affected.
We are ready to contribute evidence, youth-led expertise, and the lived realities of LGBTQI children and young people to support the Commission’s work. The Recommendation must ensure that children and young people are not treated as an afterthought, but placed at the centre of EU action against conversion practices.
Conversion practices must end everywhere in Europe. The Commission’s commitment must now become a turning point toward that goal.
For any queries, you can contact our Deputy Executive Director and Policy & Research Manager Rú Ávila Rodríguez (they/them) at ru@iglyo.org.
