The European Parliament's civil liberties committee has unanimously approved tougher EU laws against child sexual abuse, including new offences covering AI-generated deepfake material.

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) approved the provisional agreement reached with EU governments by 65 votes in favour and none against on Wednesday 4 November. The agreement updates a framework that is now 15 years old and was written before the current scale of online abuse.

The revised directive would explicitly cover AI-generated child sexual abuse material, including deepfakes, and would introduce criminal penalties for AI systems designed or adapted specifically to produce such material. It also expands the list of offences to include sexual extortion, the production and spread of AI-generated abuse material, and paying to access filmed abuse.

The changes harmonise the definition of consent across member states and substantially extend the time limits for prosecuting abuse. Under the agreement, child rape must remain prosecutable at least until the survivor reaches the age of 50, so that victims who come forward as adults are not blocked by a time limit.

Victim support is also strengthened, with better access to specialised support services, child-friendly assistance and compensation.

The overhaul is part of a broader reform of the EU's Child Sexual Abuse Directive, first adopted in 2011. Parliament and Council negotiators reached a political agreement on the text in June, after the Commission proposed the revision in February 2024 as part of its strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse. The file was steered through Parliament by rapporteur Jeroen Lenaers of the centre-right European People's Party.

The law is not yet in force.

[Source: agenceurope.eu](https://agenceurope.eu/en/bulletin/article/13975/17/european-parliaments-committee-on-civil-liberties-unanimously-approves-provisional-agreement-on-reform-of-child-sexual-abuse-directive) | [Source: euperspectives.eu](https://euperspectives.eu/2026/11/child-sexual-abuse-ai-deepfakes-eu-law/)