On Wednesday, the 10th of May, the European Parliament approved the European Union’s joining of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
The EU finally ratifies this first legally binding international mechanism for the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence six years after the signing of the Istanbul Convention. Until now the EU has been hesitant to fully ratify the Istanbul Convention, because multiple member states refused to do it despite many requests from the European Parliament.
On the 6th of October 2021 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the European Union can ratify the Istanbul Convention without consent from all member states.
The court found that the legal reason for the EU joining the convention is the shared rules for asylum, cooperation of courts in various criminal cases, as well as duties of EU and state administration institutions. This is why on Wednesday MEPs held two votes and agreed to join the convention in the section on duties of EU and state institutions and the section on cooperation of courts in criminal cases, as well as asylum and non-refoulement rules.
472 MEPs voted in favour of joining the first section, 62 voted against and 73 abstained in the vote. 464 MEPs voted in favour in the second vote. 81 voted against and 45 abstained in the vote.
EU’s joining of the Istanbul Convention does not relieve member states of the duty to individually ratify this convention. MEPs encouraged six remaining countries – Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia – to immediately ratify the convention, so that it can start fully protecting women.
The European Council needs to make the decision on joining the convention.
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