Until 1992, male homosexual relations were illegal, section 118 of the Estonian Criminal Code prohibited «intercourse between men». When independence from the USSR was regained in 1991, the age of consent for male same-sex relations was set at 16, while the age for heterosexual relations with women was 14. There was no age of consent for heterosexual sex with men. The age of consent was harmonized in 2001 when, following the restoration of its independence, Estonia adopted its first Criminal Code, setting the age of sexual intercourse at 14 years. Before 2014, sodomy was illegal, the age of consent was reserved for women, and sexual contact with a woman between the ages of 13 and 16 was a crime. Since 2014, the age of consent has been set at 16 for both men and women, sexual contact with any child under the age of 16, regardless of gender, is a crime, and the ban on sodomy has been lifted, legalizing same-sex relations. [17] In many countries, the age at which one can legally drink is considered an important stage in life. This age has also been discussed for a long time. Should the minimum drinking age coincide with a country`s voting age, the age of conscription, the age at which you can buy a lottery ticket or rent a car? Or should it be an age in itself? The drinking age in the United States is 21, although this is not the case in all other countries or even in some states in the United States. Some countries even prefer not to impose such restrictions. The drinking age in Ireland, for example, does not exist in a private home.

Male homosexual acts were illegal until 1791, when the old sodomy laws were removed from the penal code of that year. This remained the case under the Napoleonic Code of 1810. Male homosexual acts have been decriminalized in Gibraltar since 1993, when the age of consent was higher at 18 for homosexuals and 16 for lesbians and heterosexuals. Anal sex was still illegal for heterosexuals. The equal age of consent at 16 and the legalization of heterosexual intercourse occurred due to a Supreme Court decision in 2011. [158] In 2011, the Non-Gender-Based Crimes Act 2011 introduced an equal and neutral age of consent of 16 and legalized anal sex for heterosexuals – reflecting the Gibraltar Supreme Court decision and repealing and updating Gibraltar`s 140-year-old criminal laws. [157] If a marriage ceremony took place, but the marriage was not legally married, any possible offence would fall into the category of «extramarital union.» In Germany, the age of consent is 14 as long as a person over 21 does not take advantage of the lack of self-determination of a person aged 14 to 15, so that the conviction of a person over 21 requires a report from the younger person; Being over 21 years of age and having sexual relations with a minor of that age is not in itself a criminal offence. Otherwise, the age of consent is 16, although the provisions on the protection of minors against abuse apply until the age of 18 (according to Article 182(1): it is illegal to engage in sexual acts with a person under the age of 18 «taking advantage of a situation of exploitation»[37]). In the wording of the law, there is no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, discrimination may result from selective application on a case-by-case basis. «This may therefore lead to a higher incidence of cases where the minor and the offender are of the same sex, as there may be parents who would not prosecute if their 17-year-old child has sexual relations with another person of the opposite sex, but would do so if the person is of the same sex.» [74] It is also not legal to have sex with related adults, but the penalties for it (up to two years) are much lighter than those for raping a child (two to six years, four to ten years if they worsen).

Neither the European Union nor the Council of Europe has proposed a specific age of consent and no effort has been made to harmonise the age in member States. However, most countries in Europe now have binding legal obligations regarding the sexual abuse of children under the age of 18. The Lanzarote Convention, ratified by all Council of Europe member states from 2021[1] and entered into force in 2011, obliges ratifying countries to criminalise certain acts committed by children under the age of 18, such as the involvement of these children in prostitution and pornography. Other acts that must be criminalized are: Until 1962, homosexual relations were illegal in Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak Criminal Code 140/1961, introduced that year, still criminalized «sexual intercourse with a person of the same sex» (art. 244), but covered only persons over the age of 18 who had had sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 18. Between adults, receiving or providing payment and public nuisance have been criminalized. In 1990, § 244 was completely repealed by Czechoslovak Act 175/2009 Sb of 01.07.2009. The general provision regarding the age of consent in Greece is 15 years, in accordance with Articles 339 and 337 and 348B of the Greek Criminal Code.

In 2015, along with the legalization of same-sex civil partnerships, Article 347 was repealed, which provided for an additional ban on seducing a man under the age of 17 if the actor is an adult male, bringing the age of consent for homosexual acts into line. [41] intercourse, both male and male, has been illegal and punishable by death since the sodomy law of 1533. In 1861, Parliament passed the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which abolished the death penalty for intercourse. The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 expanded sodomy laws to prohibit all types of sexual activity between men. [149] It is common knowledge that an amendment criminalizing lesbian acts was rejected by Queen Victoria because she refused to believe that some women did such things; but it is more likely that those who tabled the amendment excluded it (as the House of Lords did 40 years later), assuming it would give ideas to women. [150] The Austrian Criminal Code had previously set 18 as the age of consent for male same-sex relations, at which the other partner was between 14 and 18, while there was no corresponding provision for heterosexual or female-related conduct; it was section 209 of the Criminal Code. In November 1996, an amendment to delete Article 209 was submitted to the Austrian Parliament; But the vote ended in a draw and the amendment was not adopted. A similar amendment was tabled in July 1998; It was rejected by the conservative majority. Article 209 came into force when homosexuality between men became legal in 1971. Following media coverage of Malisheva`s wedding, Kosovo police and social workers intervened, with media reports that the parents were being investigated for alleged violations of the penal code.

Newly married minors have been separated and cannot be reunited until they have reached the legal age of marriage. According to the legal framework, both spouses must be at least 18 years old, although the minimum age drops to 16 with parental consent. In 1994, male homosexuality reportedly became legal in Serbia, with an age of consent of 18 for intercourse between men and 14 for other sexual practices. Prior to 1990, sodomy was illegal for both men and women in Jersey until 1990, although the age of consent for homosexual acts other than sodomy is the same as for heterosexual acts. In 1990, the age of consent to sodomy between consenting men was set at 21 (the United Kingdom then maintained the age of consent at 21 for all homosexual acts between men). [165] In 1995, the age of was set at 18 (under the Sexual Offences (Jersey) Act 1995).