All forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls, as well as LGBTIQ+ people, should be treated “as a particularly serious crime with a cross-border dimension”, say MEPs.
In plenary, MEPs adopted, on Thursday 16 September, a report by Malin Björk (The Left, Sweden) and Diana Riba (Greens/EFA, Spain) calling on the European Commission to take the necessary steps to extend the European list of crimes to gender-based violence.
The addition of gender-based violence as a new area of crime (Article 83 TFEU), could also serve as a legal basis for the drafting of a Directive to combat such violence, stress MEPs.
Such a Directive should, in their view, provide a framework for the implementation of preventive measures as well as support and protection for victims, the exchange of expertise between Member States and take into account gender-based violence when determining custody rights.
“First step”
Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, assured that the Commission would submit a proposal to the EU Council before the end of the year to extend the list of crimes. However, it will be up to the EU Council to take a decision, by unanimity.
She also recalled Ursula von der Leyen’s commitment, during her State of the Union speech, to present a Directive to fight against gender violence.
“We are not naive, we know that several countries will express their reluctance in the EU Council. But this cannot be an excuse for not doing our job here”, insisted Diana Riba during the debate, followed by several of her colleagues.
“The fight against gender violence starts with your vote”, this vote is a “first step”. “We, Members of Parliament, have a role to play. We need to put pressure on our governments”, argued Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (Renew Europe, France), Eugenia Rodríguez Palop (The Left, Spain) and Yana Toom (Renew Europe, Estonia).
Opposition and lobbying
The vote was also about highlighting the social and economic aspects of gender-based violence, denouncing femicide as the most extreme form of such violence and recalling that the denial of safe and legal abortion care is also a form of gender-based violence.
This last point was again strongly opposed by the right. And from the onset of negotiations, Malin Björk told EUROPE.
A few days before the deadline, a note signed by the anti-abortion organisation Ordo Iuris (see EUROPE 12745/7) was circulated in the Parliament calling for the text to be rejected.
Malin Björk and Diana Riba were afraid up until the last moment that their report would be rejected. Only the ECR and ID MEPs and half of the EPP Group were overwhelmingly opposed.
To consult the report: https://bit.ly/3tRI6TQ (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)