The Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) on Wednesday 20 November endorsed the draft EU Council conclusions on strengthening the protection of the rights of victims of crime. The conclusions are expected to be formally adopted on 3 December by the European ministers of justice.
The subject was already discussed at the October ‘Justice’ Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12341/13) and is one of the priorities of the Finnish Presidency's work programme.
The draft text, consulted by EUROPE, focuses on compensation to victims for harm or damage caused by the crime, which it establishes as a fundamental right of every victim. "Whilst the primary obligation to effectively compensate victims lies with the offender, special efforts should be made in the near future to improve victims' effective access to state compensation", it says.
According to the text, in order to simplify State compensation schemes, as well as to adequately take into consideration the differences between Member States, compensation needs to remain pecuniary. The EU Council does not consider the harmonisation of compensation and of state compensation schemes possible, the text states. However, it is of the opinion that it could be explored whether the definition of victims entitled to state compensation could to some extent be harmonised.
The draft conclusions also invite the Commission to develop a strategy for 2020-2024 that covers all victims of crime with a special emphasis on victims of violent crimes. Such a strategy should include, according to Member States, a "systematic approach to ensure victims' effective access to justice and compensation", as well as the promotion of best practices among Member States on how to improve victims' access to information, support and protection.
It should be noted that the text underlines the importance of EU funding for the promotion of the rights of crime victims in the Member States. It states that the possibility of financing actions in this direction should be included in the framework of the Justice programme and Rights and Values programme. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)