The text does not cover all cases of inciting hatred against a religion

 

The agreement makes it an offence to condone or grossly trivialise crimes of genocide - but o­nly if the effect is incitement to violence or hatred.

The deal follows six years of talks, and will disappoint Germany, which pushed hard for a Holocaust-denial law.

Berlin has also had to drop a proposal for an EU-wide ban o­n Nazi symbols.

The European Network Against Racism said most European countries already had laws against incitement to racism, and the "weak text" would leave many national legal codes unchanged.

Films and plays

Under the agreement, incitement to hatred or violence against a group or a person based o­n colour, race, national or ethnic origin must be punishable by at least a year in jail.

STATES WITH HOLOCAUST DENIAL LAWS Austria Belgium Czech Republic France Germany Lithuania Poland Romania Slovakia Banning the freedom to deny

Punishing incitement to hatred against religion will o­nly be compulsory in cases where it amounts to inciting hatred against a national or ethnic group, race or colour.

Some countries will have to put the agreement to parliamentary vote, before it is finally adopted. Each member state will then have two years to bring its laws into compliance.

Officials said the wording was carefully designed to avoid criminalising films or plays about genocide, or discouraging academic research.

But dissemination of "tracts, pictures or other material" is punishable if it is designed to incite violence or hatred.

Freedom of speech

The chief difficulty holding up an agreement, since the proposal was first put forward in 2001, was the concern of some states that it would impinge o­n freedom of speech.

The text of the decision says the new rules will not modify the obligation to respect fundamental legal principles, including freedom of expression and association.