EU Commission proposes EU-wide laws to combat violence against women

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission proposed on Tuesday European Union-wide rules to fight violence against women, to protect and support victims and to prevent such violence in the first place.

Unveiling its plan on International Women's Day, the EU's executive proposed that, across the bloc's 27 countries, rape would be criminalised, based purely on the lack of consent and irrespective of whether force and threats were used.