European Union: Civil Liberties Committee issued draft position on Proposal for a Directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material

On 13 May 2025, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) adopted its draft position on Proposal for a Directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material. The LIBE’s draft position proposes to raise the maximum punishments for several child sexual abuse (CSA) offenses, as well as to abolish limitation periods for such crimes. Furthermore, LIBE’s amendments explicitly criminalise artificial intelligence (AI) designed for CSA crimes, along with an endorsement of specific provisions on online dissemination of CSA material and the livestreaming of CSA. Finally, the draft position includes provisions for third-party organisations to be able to report CSA crimes. The European Parliament will debate and vote on this position in its plenary session from 16-19 June 2025.