24/05/2023 (Agence Europe) – The Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper II) gave the green light to the decisions on the EU’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention. Now that the European Parliament has given its consent, all that remains is the approval of the EU Council, which is expected to take a decision at the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on 1 June. While ratification will only concern the areas in which the EU has competence (see EUROPE 13126/12), the European Commission had regretted, at a previous Coreper II meeting, that “the Council did not choose to send a stronger signal on the coherence of the Union’s external and internal policy” by opting for a broader scope. From a European Parliament perspective, the rapporteurs hope that this will inspire the six Member States that have not ratified the text to follow the EU Council’s lead (see EUROPE 13186/30). (HS)