Iers voorzitterschap wenst EU-richtlijn voor verbod op prostitutie (en)

Ireland, the current holder of the EU Presidency, may propose an EU-wide ban on paying for sex. However, an agreement among all member states is very unlikely.

At the moment Sweden is the only EU member state where paying for sex is illegal.

"It has not been discussed in any meaningful way at European level yet, but certainly it is something which will have to be considered during the Irish presidency", said Willie O'Dea, minister of state at the Irish Department of Justice, according to Reuters.

It will be difficult to find common ground on this controversial issue, but it should at least be discussed, the minister added.

A debate on the multi-billion dollar sex industry was started by a Swedish MEP - Marianne Eriksson, who introduced a report yesterday (19 January) suggesting a ban on paying for sex.