The European Parliament has broadened the definition of human trafficking beyond labour and sexual exploitation to include the exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage and illegal adoption.

The EU Council needs to formally approve the agreement. Member states will then have two years to implement its provisions.

MEPs voted on Tuesday with 563 in favour, 7 against, and 17 abstentions to expand the scope of current measures to combat and prevent human trafficking.

The directive says that while some of the newly added practices may already be covered by anti-trafficking laws, they should be recognised as such explicitly.

It continues: “More specifically, as regards trafficking for the exploitation of surrogacy, this Directive targets those who coerce or deceive women into acting as surrogate mothers. The amendments to Directive 2011/36/EU made by this Directive are without prejudice to the definitions of marriage, adoption, forced marriage and illegal adoption, or to those of offences related thereto other than trafficking, where provided for in national or international law. Those rules are also without prejudice to the national rules on surrogacy, including criminal law or family law.”