Strasbourg

Eurocamera's approval of the victims' directive, protections of the Zan ddl approved

The Zan bill was scuttled in the Senate in 2021. After five years, part of the bill will be put to the vote again (but by the Eurochamber)

by Letizia Giostra

21 May 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The return of the Zan ddl
Common measures
Abortion mentioned for the first time in an EU law

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Eurocamera's green light to new EU rules to strengthen the protection of victims of crime, with specific protections for those who have suffered sexual violence or crimes related to sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The directive on victims, approved in plenary in Strasbourg with 440 votes in favour, 49 against and 84 abstentions, also introduces some guarantees that in Italia had been foreseen by the Zan ddl, sunk in the Senate in 2021. The text will now have to be formally adopted by the EU Council. The member states will then have two years to transpose it into their national laws.

The directive - signed by European MPs Javier Zarzalejos and Lucia Yar - aims to take care of people who have suffered violence, stalking, sexual abuse and hate crimes. The text takes up a principle contained in Article 6 of the bill against obitransfobia rejected by the Senate in October 2021.

The return of the Zan ddl

PD MEP Alessandro Zan returned to talk about the reform - for which he was rapporteur - on the eve of the vote. Zan is in fact also negotiator of the measure for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group.

"What the Italian right has wiped out with the scuttling of the Zan ddl could now come back to Italia from the EU, thanks to this directive that will bind all Member States," thunders Zan. Should there be a green light from the plenary, the 27 EU countries would have two years to implement the directive.

Those who are affected because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender or disability - according to MEP Zan - must have 'special protection'. And this was precisely one of the most discussed aspects when the bill to protect the LGBTQ+ community made its way through the legislative process. After the yes of the House (265 votes in favour) came the stop of the Senate (154 votes against 131).

Common measurements

Among the measures envisaged in the text, which recall that of the reform sunk in the Senate in 2021, are specific protections for victims affected because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, with the aim of avoiding secondary victimisation. Article 6 of the Zan bill - which returns to the European directive - specified that the words 'or based on sex, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity' be inserted after the words 'racial hatred'.

Abortion mentioned for the first time in an EU law

"What happens when you suffer a hate crime and the state does not recognise you? What happens is that you suffer two traumas: the crime and the indifference of the institutions. Tomorrow in this chamber we will vote on the victims directive, an historic European law, and I say this with pride as rapporteur for the Socialist and Democrat Group, because of the results achieved for all victims. Such as the strengthening of privacy, post-traumatic psychological medical support including access to safe abortion for victims of sexual violence. For the first time, abortion is mentioned in an EU law," was Zan's speech at the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg.