Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence

PURPOSE: to conclude, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence with regard to the institutions and public administration of the Union.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2023/1075 of 1 June 2023 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence with regard to institutions and public administration of the Union.

CONTENT: under the terms of this Decision, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is hereby approved on behalf of the Union in so far as it applies to its institutions and public administration. The Union's accession to the Convention shall be without prejudice to the competence of the Member States to ratify the Convention in respect of matters falling within their national competences.

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is the first international instrument aiming to eliminate violence against women, including girls under the age of 18, as a root cause of persisting inequality between men and women, by setting up a comprehensive framework of legal and policy measures to prevent violence against women and protect and assist victims of such violence. The Convention entered into force on 1 April 2014.

The Convention was signed on 13 June 2017 on behalf of the Union with regard to matters covered by the Convention that fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union, subject to its conclusion at a later date.

The Convention creates a comprehensive and multidimensional legal framework to protect women against all forms of violence. It aims to prevent, prosecute and eliminate violence against women and girls and domestic violence. It includes a range of measures, from data collection and awareness-raising to legal measures to criminalise different forms of violence against women. It includes measures for the protection of victims and the provision of support services and addresses the gender-based violence dimension of asylum and migration. To ensure effective implementation of its provisions by the parties, the Convention establishes a specific monitoring mechanism.

Violence against women is not only a criminal offence but also a violation of their human rights and an extreme form of discrimination, entrenched in gender inequalities and contributing to maintaining and reinforcing them. By committing to the implementation of the Convention, the Union confirms its engagement in combating violence against women within its territory and globally and reinforces its current political action and existing substantial legal framework in the area of criminal procedural law, which is of particular relevance for women and girls.

This Decision concerns the provisions of the Convention only in so far as they are applicable to the institutions and public administration of the Union. It does not concern the provisions of the Convention relating to judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum or non-refoulement, which are covered by a separate Council Decision adopted in parallel with this Decision.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 22.6.2023.