On Wednesday 24 June, the European Commission presented its first ever strategy on the rights of victims of crime, which sets out the actions it will take over the next 5 years and makes a number of recommendations to Member States.
“This is the first time that a strategy of this magnitude has been put in place at EU level concerning victims’ rights”, welcomed European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders at a press conference.
It was all the more urgent to put it in place now, as the lockdown introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic had been marked by an increase in domestic violence, sexual abuse of children, cybercrime and hate crimes motivated by racism and xenophobia, the Commission stressed.
Better enforcement of EU rules in practice; this is the starting point of its strategy. As demonstrated in a May evaluation report (see EUROPE 12485/14), the implementation of the 2012 Directive on victims’ rights remains largely unsatisfactory, the Commission recalls.
“We must stop being indifferent”, said Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, at a press conference, recalling that the Commission is currently pursuing 21 infringement proceeding for incomplete transposition of the Directive.
The Commission is also relying on communication, since it notes that all too often victims are unaware of their rights. It intends, inter alia, to launch an EU campaign to raise awareness of victims’ rights and to focus on the training of those in contact with victims.
The strategy aims to better protect all victims of crime, the Commission stressed, but will nevertheless focus on the most vulnerable victims, such as children, the elderly, victims of gender-based violence, domestic violence, hate crimes or terrorism, and victims with disabilities.
Concrete actions envisioned include the introduction of minimum standards for the physical protection of victims. The Commission also indicates that it will assess at EU level which tools would allow for the reporting of offences by migrant victims and by victims in detention and may present, if necessary, legislative proposals by 2022.
With regard to victims’ access to compensation, the Commission recognises the many obstacles that exist in the Member States. It will continue to monitor the implementation of the relevant EU legislation and again announces that it will propose additional measures by 2022 if necessary.
Another part of the strategy concerns the strengthening of the international dimension of victims’ rights, including cooperation with the United Nations and the Council of Europe in this area.
Creation of the Victims’ Rights Platform
The Commission also announced that it would create a Victims’ Rights Platform in order to ensure a more horizontal approach. In particular, it will bring together the Commission and key actors such as the European Network on Victims’ Rights (ENVR), as well as relevant agencies such as Eurojust and the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and civil society.
At Commission level, a coordinator for victims’ rights will also ensure the coherence and effectiveness of the different actions carried out in relation to the victims’ rights strategy.
The Commission will take stock of the actions taken at the mid-term point of the strategy and update it if necessary. See the strategy: https://bit.ly/3evCAh6 (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)