Published: Less than 10 min ago
After ten years of fighting, the EU is about to jointly ratify the Istanbul Convention on violence against women and girls.
Historic and an important signal, say the supporters in the EU Parliament – despite internal resistance and unclear consequences.
The Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention was presented in 2011 and has been hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against gender-based violence, with its definitions of what counts as a crime and must be punished.
But far from everyone has seen the benefit of common rules.
Countries such as Russia and Azerbaijan have never signed and Turkey – where the convention was signed – has relented and dropped out.
“Very historic”
Even within the EU, not all member states agree. Six countries have still not finally ratified the convention: Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Nevertheless, the EU as a whole is now expected to ratify the convention, via a vote in the EU Parliament on Wednesday and then formally by the Council of Ministers in early June.
– This is very historic. We will harmonize the measures to combat violence against women within the EU in a completely different way than today, says Swedish member Arba Kokalari (M) at a digital press conference.
Does not require agreement
Ratification can take place since the EU’s court in the fall of 2021 found that no complete agreement among the member states is needed to say yes.
But at the same time there will be no complete ratification either. The only things that the EU can establish are matters relating to cooperation in the field of criminal justice, asylum, EU institutions and public administration and only those areas where it is the EU that decides.
– It is a very limited part of the Istanbul Convention and I think it is very watered down. In terms of signaling policy, it is very important that we vote for this with a large majority, but it must also be followed up with concrete legislative proposals, says Evin Incir (S) to TT in Strasbourg.
Russian propaganda?
Opponents, not least within the far right, believe that the convention interferes with family policy and LGBT issues. Arba Kokalari, who was one of the main people responsible for the parliament’s handling of the issue, accuses Russia of spreading false propaganda.
– Disinformation campaigns have been used in Bulgaria and Hungary and these countries with myths about what the Istanbul Convention is, says Kokalari.
At the same time, it remains unclear what the EU’s ratification actually means when it comes to getting the countries to comply with what is stipulated.
– It can go so far that you need to take it to court to clarify what this decision is actually about, says Incir.
Facts
Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention is a comprehensive agreement with the aim of preventing and combating violence against women and girls as well as domestic violence. The convention was presented in 2011 and entered into force in 2014.
It is the first legally binding convention on violence against women in Europe and was opened for signature at a ministerial meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Istanbul Convention states that violence against women is a violation of human rights. It condemns all forms of violence against women and describes the violence as an expression of historically unequal power relations between women and men.
States that ratify the document undertake to maintain a certain legal standard regarding, for example, rape, sexual abuse, genital mutilation, honor-related violence and forced marriage.
The convention has been signed by 45 states and the EU. 38 countries have also finally ratified, the latest being Ukraine and the UK in November 2022.
Turkey was the first to ratify the convention – but also the only country that later left the convention. Poland has also flagged that it is considering withdrawing.
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