As the EU officially ratifies the Istanbul Convention next week, the European Commission organised a reception to “mark [this] important occasion” on Monday 19 June. It was also an opportunity for the Vice-President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, and the Swedish Minister for Gender Equality, Paulina Brandberg, to salute the culmination of a long collective effort.
The mood was festive, but there was one word on everyone’s lips: “finally”. Ratification will have taken six years of negotiations with national governments and a ruling by the Court of Justice, requested by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12806/20).
“In 2017, I expected a smooth process”, admitted Ms Jourová, deploring “some phantasmagoric interpretations” of the legislation. A reference to the Member States that opposed the convention, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, accusing it of promoting “gender ideology” (see EUROPE 13192/29). For the Commissioner, the text has thus become “one of the symbols of the culture war”, despite its vocation to “deliver real progress”.
In parallel with the Istanbul Convention, a directive is expected to complete the EU’s arsenal for combating violence against women. However, Ms Dalli has already criticised the EU Council’s position on the text, in particular for having withdrawn the provisions on rape (see EUROPE 13198/1). (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)