The day after the second meeting of the interinstitutional negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (trilogue) on the revision of the directive on victims’ rights (see EUROPE 13431/2), Poland’s Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar, was heard on Thursday 6 February by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) (see other news), welcoming “a very good debate”, saying he was optimistic that the text would be adopted quickly.
But while progress has been made, there are still differences of opinion, particularly on the degree of constraint imposed on Member States.
The discussions, which focused on the second chapter relating to accessibility – access to information and support services – and support for victims, led to agreements on a number of technical aspects.
The negotiators agreed to introduce measures to support victims, in particular by setting up listening visits and mental health support, to be provided by non-governmental organisations and public bodies.
A consensus also emerged on the need for a framework for reporting crimes in order to guarantee safe and effective access to justice for all victims.
The EU Council and Parliament also agreed on the use of digital platforms for reporting infringements.
However, the EU Council insisted on preserving traditional means of communication, in particular to guarantee emotional support in the courts.
The introduction of a free, confidential helpline, via the harmonised European number 116 006, was confirmed, although there is still some debate about the costs involved for the Member States.
A source close to the dossier at the European Parliament acknowledged that, while progress has been made, a number of technical issues still need to be discussed in depth. And the next trilogue is unlikely to be conclusive, with several points still being referred to technical meetings.
The constraints imposed on Member States to finance certain measures are still one of the stumbling blocks.
The European Commission is prepared to soften some of the wording to facilitate a compromise, while the European Parliament is calling for a binding regulatory framework. For its part, the EU Council wants to limit the financial obligations of the Member States.
The Polish Presidency of the EU has put in place a very regular schedule of technical meetings over the coming weeks. Several interinstitutional meetings are scheduled until the end of the month to finalise discussions on the more technical aspects of the text.
However, no precise date has yet been set for the next trilogue. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)