The ages of consent vary by jurisdiction across Europe. The ages of consent β hereby meaning the age from which one is deemed able to consent to having sex with anyone else of consenting age or above β are between 14 and The vast majority of countries set their ages in the range of 14 to 16; only four countries, Cyprus 17 , Ireland 17 , Turkey 18 , and the Vatican City 18 , set an age of consent higher than The highlighted age is that from which a young person can lawfully engage in a non-commercial sexual act with an older person, regardless of their age difference.
If a participant in a sexual act is under 18 but above the age of consent then sexual acts with another person who is at or over the age of consent may still be illegal if the older participant is in a position of authority over the younger person. For example, a teacher and their student or someone in the police. Sexual acts may not be legal if those engaging are blood relatives, regardless of age, though the legality of incest varies between European countries.
Some countries have close-in-age exceptions, allowing partners close in age of whom one or both may be below the standard unrestricted age of consent to be able to both legally consent to engage in sexual acts with each other. The lowest minimum age of consent for a close-in-age exception to apply in Europe is 12 in Hungary , providing their older sexual partner is under All jurisdictions in Europe per List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe :.
Neither the European Union nor the Council of Europe have suggested any specific age of consent, and there has not been any effort so far to standardize the age across member states. However, most countries in Europe now have binding legal obligations in regard to the sexual abuse of children under The Lanzarote Convention , which was ratified, as of , by all member states of the Council of Europe, [2] and which came into effect in , obliges the countries that ratify it to criminalize certain acts concerning children under 18, such as the involvement of such children in prostitution and pornography.
Other acts that must be criminalized include:. Engaging in sexual activities with a child 'child' is defined in Article 3 as 'person under the age of 18 years' where:. The age of consent is called "the legal age for sexual activities" and must be chosen by states at the age they see fit. No specific age is recommended. As of February , the convention has been ratified by all states of the Council of Europe.
