Brussels, 17/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the European Commission presented a draft directive relating to the compensation by public authorities of victims of criminal acts that have been unable to secure redress from the author of the act. The Commission proposes that the directive oblige all Member states to compensate victims of intentional crimes committed on their territory, and that caused physical or moral prejudice. The compensation should cover all losses that the victim has suffered and that stems directly from the crime. Member states may subordinate the compensation to the condition that the victim first seek compensation from the author of the crime before turning to the State. Compensation should be granted to close relatives and people responsible for the victims of crime who subsequently died of their injuries. Compensation would be paid by the State on whose territory the crime was committed, and should be granted to the nationals of that State, as well as to EU and third country nationals, except for people on the territory illegally.
"As we stand, it happens that Union citizens and residents are not at all compensated for the harm they have suffered due to a crime (…) This situation is unacceptable", declared Antonio Vitorino, European Commissioner responsible for justice. The Commission explains that, currently, two Member states (Greece and Italy) do not have such a system of public compensation, and that the systems in force are very different. The Commission does not propose to set a common minimum amount for compensation, but considers that the compensation granted by the State should be the same level as what the victim should have secured from the author of the crime in virtue of the provisions of civil law. The Commission also proposes setting up closer co-operation between national authorities so as to help victims calling for redress in cross-border situations.