Decision
Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts
- Effect
- Adopted
- Result
- 480 for · 5 against · 83 abstained roll call
- Date
- 21 May 2026, 13:33–13:36
- Kind
- Resolution
More facts (9)
- Margin
- by an overwhelming majority
- Dossier
- 2026/2737(RSP)
- Source
- Motion for a resolution
- Topics
- Foreign affairsJobs, social affairs & equality Assigned by a model, not checked by hand.
- Votes
- 17 votes · 7 roll calls · 6 amendments
- Requested by
- The Left (1 roll call) · S&D (1 roll call) · Renew (1 roll call) · Patriots (1 roll call) · ESN (1 roll call, 1 split vote)
- Sitting
- Thursday 21 May 2026
- Final vote
- 193420
Result
The final vote and what it means for this kind of decision.
Final vote: 480 for, 5 against, 83 abstained (roll call).
Adopted by an overwhelming majority.
Parliament adopted the text as its official position.
Before the final vote, MEPs decided on 6 amendments (2 adopted, 4 rejected) and 2 parts of the text voted on separately (1 adopted, 1 rejected). 8 alternative motions lapsed once the text was adopted.
Backed by The Left, Greens, S&D, Renew, EPP and ECR; Patriots and ESN mostly abstained.
Groups
| Group | For | Against | Abst. | No vote | Majority line | Clear line | Cohesion | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Left | For 37 | Against 0 | Abst. 0 | No vote 8 of 45 | Majority line For | Clear line For | Cohesion 1.00 | |
| Greens | For 43 | Against 0 | Abst. 0 | No vote 10 of 53 | Majority line For | Clear line For | Cohesion 1.00 | |
| S&D | For 106 | Against 0 | Abst. 0 | No vote 30 of 136 | Majority line For | Clear line For | Cohesion 1.00 | |
| Renew | For 65 | Against 0 | Abst. 0 | No vote 12 of 77 | Majority line For | Clear line For | Cohesion 1.00 | |
| EPP | For 136 | Against 0 | Abst. 0 | No vote 47 of 183 | Majority line For | Clear line For | Cohesion 1.00 | |
| ECR | For 62 | Against 2 | Abst. 3 | No vote 14 of 81 | Majority line For | Clear line For | Cohesion 0.89 | |
| Patriots | For 21 | Against 1 | Abst. 48 | No vote 15 of 85 | Majority line Abstained | Clear line Abstained | Cohesion 0.53 | |
| ESN | For 1 | Against 1 | Abst. 22 | No vote 3 of 27 | Majority line Abstained | Clear line Abstained | Cohesion 0.88 | |
| No group | For 9 | Against 1 | Abst. 10 | No vote 10 of 30 | Majority line — | Clear line No line | Cohesion — |
Members who changed group are counted in the group of the day: Branko GRIMS changed group, Elena YONCHEVA changed group, Nikola BARTŮŠEK changed group, Pina PICIERNO changed group, Taner KABILOV changed group.
Voted against their group, 29
Members who voted otherwise than a clear line (at least two thirds of the votes cast, at least 10 members voting) of the group they sat in that day. A group without a clear line is divided and not counted.
ECR line For · 2 voted against, 3 abstained of 67 who voted
Voted against (2)
- Beatrice TIMGREN Sweden
- Charlie WEIMERS Sweden
Abstained (3)
- Emmanouil FRAGKOS Greece
- Galato ALEXANDRAKI Greece
- Kristoffer STORM Denmark
Patriots line Abstained · 22 voted for or against of 70 who voted
Voted for or against (22)
- Aldo PATRICIELLO Italy
- Anna Maria CISINT Italy
- Barbara BONTE Belgium
- Gerolf ANNEMANS Belgium
- Hermann TERTSCH Spain
- Isabella TOVAGLIERI Italy
- Jana NAGYOVÁ Czechia
- Jaroslav BŽOCH Czechia
- Jaroslav KNOT Czechia
- Jaroslava POKORNÁ JERMANOVÁ Czechia
- Jorge BUXADÉ VILLALBA Spain
- Jorge MARTÍN FRÍAS Spain
- Juan Carlos GIRAUTA VIDAL Spain
- Klara DOSTALOVA Czechia
- Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN Spain
- Mireia BORRÁS PABÓN Spain
- Ondřej KNOTEK Czechia
- Paolo BORCHIA Italy
- Silvia SARDONE Italy
- Susanna CECCARDI Italy
- Tom VANDENDRIESSCHE Belgium
- Tomáš KUBÍN Czechia
ESN line Abstained · 2 voted for or against of 24 who voted
Voted for or against (2)
- Milan MAZUREK Slovakia
- Sarah KNAFO France
Countries
The final vote by national delegation.
Votes by country (27 delegations)
| Country | For | Against | Abst. | No vote | Cohesion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 13 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0.53 |
| Belgium | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.00 |
| Bulgaria | 8 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0.70 |
| Cyprus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — |
| Czechia | 15 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.91 |
| Germany | 64 | 0 | 21 | 11 | 0.63 |
| Denmark | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.79 |
| Estonia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Spain | 45 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1.00 |
| Finland | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1.00 |
| France | 42 | 0 | 27 | 12 | 0.41 |
| Greece | 6 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0.32 |
| Croatia | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.00 |
| Hungary | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | — |
| Ireland | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 |
| Italy | 57 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0.95 |
| Lithuania | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Luxembourg | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Latvia | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Malta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — |
| Netherlands | 21 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0.67 |
| Poland | 43 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0.82 |
| Portugal | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.84 |
| Romania | 23 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1.00 |
| Sweden | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.85 |
| Slovenia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Slovakia | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0.40 |
Members
Each member’s recorded position on the final roll call, in the group they sat in that day. Filter by country, group, position or name.
Debate speakers and how they voted
| Member | Group | Speeches | Spoke | Final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts ZĪLE Latvia | ECR | Speeches3 | 21 May 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | No vote recorded |
| Marieke EHLERS Netherlands | Patriots | Speeches1 | 21 May 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | Abstained |
| Matthieu VALET France | Patriots | Speeches1 | 21 May 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | Abstained |
| Barbara BONTE Belgium | Patriots | Speeches1 | 21 May 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | For |
| Lukas MANDL Austria | EPP | Speeches2 | 20 May 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | For |
| Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE Netherlands | Renew | Speeches2 | 20 May 2026 (verbatim report, official site) | For |
Show the other 23 speakers
All votes on this decision, 17
| No. | Vote | Recorded | Result | Requested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Separate vote on paragraph 2 | Counted | 334 for, 173 against, 23 abstained Adopted | |
| 2 | Amendment 1, adding text after paragraph 2 RC-B10-0247/2026 – After § 2 – Am 1 | Roll call | 181 for, 338 against, 36 abstained Rejected | Requested byroll call: Patriots, The Left |
| 3 | Separate vote on paragraph 4 | Show of hands | Rejected |
Show the other 16 votesShow the other 14 votes
| No. | Vote | Recorded | Result | Requested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Amendment 1, adding text after paragraph 2 RC-B10-0247/2026 – After § 2 – Am 1 | Roll call | 181 for, 338 against, 36 abstained Rejected | Requested byroll call: Patriots, The Left |
| 3 | Separate vote on paragraph 4 | Show of hands | Rejected |
| No. | Vote | Recorded | Result | Requested by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Amendment 5 to paragraph 4 RC-B10-0247/2026 – § 4 – Am 5 | Roll call | 295 for, 189 against, 73 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: S&D, Patriots, Renew |
| 5 | Amendment 4, adding text after paragraph 4 — part 1 RC-B10-0247/2026 – After § 4 – Am 4/1 Part voted on: “Notes that the Commission started exploratory talks with the Taliban in 2025, following a call from 19 EU Member States to coordinate a strategy for the return of Afghan nationals; notes that the Commission now plans to invite representatives of the Taliban for talks on the return of Afghans;” | Roll call | 155 for, 382 against, 26 abstained Rejected | Requested byroll call: ESN; split: ESN |
| 6 | Amendment 4, adding text after paragraph 4 — part 2 RC-B10-0247/2026 – After § 4 – Am 4/2 Part voted on: “calls for the EU to engage with the Taliban de facto authorities solely in order to elaborate diplomatic and technical solutions for the structured and safe return of Afghans and to assist EU Member States in their talks with Taliban representatives so as to facilitate the return of foreign nationals who pose a security threat;” | Roll call | 142 for, 380 against, 36 abstained Rejected | Requested byroll call: ESN; split: ESN |
| 7 | Amendment 2, adding text after paragraph 4 RC-B10-0247/2026 – After § 4 – Am 2 | Roll call | 184 for, 348 against, 28 abstained Rejected | Requested byroll call: The Left |
| 8 | Amendment 3 to paragraph 7 RC-B10-0247/2026 – § 7 – Am 3 | Roll call | 296 for, 252 against, 19 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: The Left |
| 9 | Final vote — text as a whole RC-B10-0247/2026 – Motion for a resolution (as a whole) | Roll call | 480 for, 5 against, 83 abstained Adopted | Requested byroll call: Renew |
| 10 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0246/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 11 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0247/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 12 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0249/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 13 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0251/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 14 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0252/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 15 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0254/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 16 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0255/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed | |
| 17 | Alternative motion for a resolution B10-0258/2026 | Show of hands | Lapsed |
Roll calls requested by The Left, S&D, Renew, Patriots, ESN · split votes by ESN.
Text
The text voted on.
AI: What this vote decides Written by AI from the official text — check the source
The resolution condemns the Taliban's systemic discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan, calling it gender apartheid that may amount to crimes against humanity.
It denounces the Taliban's adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts and urges its immediate revocation and cessation of implementation.
Parliament adopted the text as its official position, urging the EU and member states to support accountability efforts, including ICC investigations and sanctions.
It also calls for discarding plans to invite Taliban representatives to Brussels and for expediting humanitarian visas while refraining from deportations of Afghan asylum seekers.
AI: The text in short Written by AI from the official text — check the source
This resolution condemns the Taliban's systemic discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan, particularly after the adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts, and calls for accountability and protection measures.
Dossier
Where the dossier stands and its other decisions in plenary.
2026/2737(RSP) · Resolution on a topical subject
Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban's adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts
Parliament adopted the text on 21 May 2026. This is its final position on the matter.
Show the 3 steps of the dossier
- Tabled for plenary (done)
- Plenary vote · Adopted 21 May 2026 (done)
- Parliament’s position · Final (done)
Connections
What this decision touches: the procedural chain, the same text, running issues, votes that split the chamber the same way.
Show 3 connections: Running issue: Afghanistan under Taliban
Running issue: Afghanistan under Taliban
- Issue Afghanistan under Taliban Running issue · Country situation 21 May 2026
- Decision Situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes Resolution · motion for a resolution 9 Oct 2025 Adopted
- Decision The deteriorating situation of women in Afghanistan due to the recent adoption of the law on the ‘Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’ Resolution · motion for a resolution 19 Sept 2024 Adopted
Sources & citation
Where the facts on this page come from, and how to cite it.
- Official sources
- Data source
- Licensed CC BY 4.0.
- Retrieved
- 25 September 2026
Cite as
European Parliament (2026). “Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts”. Decision, 21 May 2026. votingId 193420, document B-10-2026-0247, reference 2026/2737(RSP). EU Parl Watch Research. https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/decisions/2026-05-21/6 (retrieved 25 September 2026). Official sources: Roll-call votes, sitting of 21 May 2026 (European Parliament), https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-10-2026-05-21-RCV_EN.html; Results of votes, sitting of 21 May 2026 (European Parliament), https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-10-2026-05-21-VOT_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: decisions of the sitting MTG-PL-2026-05-21, https://data.europarl.europa.eu/api/v2/meetings/MTG-PL-2026-05-21/decisions?format=application%2Fld%2Bjson (CC BY 4.0).
BibTeX
@misc{epw-decision-2026-05-21-6,
author = {{European Parliament}},
title = {{Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s adoption of the Criminal Procedure Code for Courts}},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-05-21},
howpublished = {\url{https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/decisions/2026-05-21/6}},
url = {https://news.eu-parl.st-solutions.dev/decisions/2026-05-21/6},
urldate = {2026-09-25},
publisher = {EU Parl Watch Research},
note = {Decision. votingId 193420, document B-10-2026-0247, reference 2026/2737(RSP). Official source: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-10-2026-05-21-RCV\_EN.html, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-10-2026-05-21-VOT\_EN.html. Data: EP Open Data API: decisions of the sitting MTG-PL-2026-05-21 (CC BY 4.0)}
}