In 10 European countries (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, and Turkey), prostitution is legal and regulated.

Very permissive prostitution policies exist in the Netherlands and Germany, and these countries are major destinations for international sex tourism.

[2] Other countries which have restrictive prostitution policies and officially affirm an anti-prostitution stance are Great Britain, Denmark and Finland.

[20][21] Bulgaria originally gained a reputation as a transit country for human trafficking, but subsequently, it has become known as a destination where the sex trade takes place.

Ever since the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1989 led to the creation of the two independent states Czech Republic and Slovakia, prostitution has been flourishing, and has contributed its share to the region's booming tourist economy.

Due to the close proximity of the Turkish border, and no visa requirements for Turks, many men from Turkey come to the area to find prostitutes.

[42] Morals Police captain Vladimir Istrati is quoted as saying "Prostitution in Moldova is a very well organised crime, there is a precise structure of operation which includes secretary, office, and owner."

[50] Prostitution is an administrative, but not criminal, offence in Russia (such as, for example, drinking beer in a public place or walking nude on the street).

The economic decline in Ukraine made the nation vulnerable and forced many to depend on prostitution and trafficking as a source of income.

Since prostitution is a sensitive indicator that develops with changes in the social environment and the state, it is useful to divide the history of this phenomenon from Estonia's first independence according to the different historical stages of the country.

In June 2006, parliament voted by 158 to 15 with four abstentions to approve a bill which outlaws the buying of sexual services from prostitutes if it is linked to human trafficking.

[78] In Great Britain, prostitution itself is legal,[79] but a number of related activities, including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, keeping a brothel, pimping, and pandering, are outlawed.

Prostitution is legal in the Isle of Man but related activities such as soliciting, procuring and brothel keeping are prohibited by the Sexual Offences Act 1992.

[99] Cyprus has been criticised by the US State Department [100] for failing to control the flow of illegal immigrants and legal to be involved in forced prostitution.

Cyprus has gained a reputation for being a major transit point for people smugglers to transport women for the purposes of prostitution.

After pleading no contest to the charges, the manager of Mexico nightclub, Mesut Kilicarslan, was sentenced to 15 days in prison for encouraging and profiting from prostitution.

[112] The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's HIV Program in Kosovo estimated there to be 5,037 prostitutes in the country.

[115] Following the ceasefire and presence in the country of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and other international organisations, the demand for prostitution soared.

[117] In March 2008, police and the Ministry for Social Policy signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize a screening process for all arrested persons engaged in prostitution to determine whether they were victims of trafficking or other abuses.

[122][123] In 2003 it was reported that the trafficking of women from the Balkans to Western Europe for sex was worth billions of dollars, with the beneficiaries including the Albanian National Liberation Army in North Macedonia.

[133] Serbian Radical Party president Vojislav Šešelj supported the proposal, under the condition that prostitutes undergo regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases.

The police are allowed to check the authenticity of registered prostitutes to determine whether they have been examined properly and to ensure they see the health authorities if they don't.

Prostitution in Austria is legal and regulated under the penal code (Strafgesetzbuch),[144] under Zehnter Abschnitt Strafbare Handlungen gegen die sexuelle Integrität und Selbstbestimmung (§§ 201-220b) (Part Ten: Offences against sexual integrity and self-determination (§ § 201-220b)).

[146] Although sex work itself is not forbidden, Section 207b[147]Sexueller Missbrauch von Jugendlichen (Sexual abuse of juveniles) allows for prosecution of clients of workers younger than 18.

[162] The law has been evaluated as a failure, putting sex workers in danger, reducing prices, and decreasing condom use among their clients.

Prostitution in Germany is legal, as are all aspects of the sex industry, including brothels, advertisement, and job offers through HR companies.

From 1 January 2022, a customer will be punished if they purchase a sexual service from a sex worker of whom they know or have serious reason to suspect that there is coercion, exploitation or human trafficking.

[178] Prostitution is concentrated in and around the big cities and in the border towns in the regions of Limburg, Groningen, Twente, West Brabant and Zeeland.

[179] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all legally operating brothels in the Netherlands were closed on 15 March 2020, based on emergency orders per police district.

Since the Dutch government failed to provide financial compensation for sex workers (especially those who have always paid taxes through the 'opting-in'-system), many of them were forced to continue to work, turning to illegal home-based prostitution.