The Istanbul Convention, the international reference text for combating violence against women, came into force in the EU on Sunday 1 October.
A “historic” moment
All Member States, including those that have not ratified it at national level, will thus be obliged to comply with the Convention in areas where the Union has exclusive powers (see EUROPE 13126/12).
European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová and Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli both described the moment as “historic”. And with good reason: ratification of the text by the Council of the EU required 6 years of negotiations with the EU27 (see EUROPE 13205/21, 13192/29).
A Directive to supplement the Convention
However, the European Parliament and the Commission are currently engaged in a new tug-of-war with EU countries over a similar issue: the draft Directive aimed at combating domestic violence and violence against women.
The positions of the Council of the EU and Parliament differ on key points. In particular, the inclusion of rape in the list of offences covered by the legislation divides the institutions (see EUROPE 13253/26).
The second negotiation meeting will be held on Tuesday 3 October, in the margins of the Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg and in the presence of Mrs Dalli. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)