The European Commission notified 13 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Greece, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia) for failing to implement EU rules on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography (Directive 2011/93/EU). The EU has strict rules criminalising child sex abuse across Europe, that include penalties for offenders, protection for child victims and measure to help prevent such offences from taking place in the first place. It contains special measures to fight online child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.
Many Member States faced delays in the implementation of the directive into their national law. In order to ensure effective protection of children from sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, all countries must fully comply with the provisions. The Commission has decided to launch infringement procedures against 13 Member States for the incorrect implementation and they have now two months to respond.