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EU Strategy for Victims’ Rights

In “A New Push for European Democracy”

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In its 2020 work programme, the European Commission announced its intention to adopt an EU strategy for victims’ rights in the second quarter of 2020.

On 5 March 2020, the European Commission published a Roadmap for the 'EU Strategy on victims' rights (2020-2024)', outlining its five key priorities: empowering victims of crime, improving protection and support of the most vulnerable victims, facilitating victims’ access to compensation, strengthening cooperation and coordination, and the international dimension of victims’ rights. The Commission stated that it has extensively consulted stakeholders in 2018-2019 and quoted several assessments, such as the report of Special Adviser on victims' compensation, the Fundamental Rights Agency reports or Victim Support Europe findings, which all recommend a horizontal and comprehensive approach to ensure a better cooperation and coordination among the relevant actors, as well as improving victim's access to justice and to compensation.

In May 2020, the Commission issued a report on the implementation of the 2012 Victims' Rights directive, the core instrument of the EU victims' rights policy. The assessment showed that implementation was not satisfactory, due to incomplete or incorrect transposition. The report also identified shortcomings in practical implementation of provisions such as access to information or support services. A second report from May 2020 looked into the implementation of the directive on the European protection order, which aims to ensure that a person who benefits from a protection measure in one Member State can continue to rely on such protection when moving or travelling to another Member State. These evaluations showed that both instruments have not yet reached their full potential.

The European Commission presented its first-ever EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020-2025) on 24 June 2020. The strategy builds on the five priorities mentioned above, based on a two-strand approach: empowering victims of crime and working together for victims' rights. It outlines key actions to be conducted by the European Commission, Member States and civil society under each of the five priorities, as follows:

1. Effective communication with victims and a safe environment for victims to report crime

  • European Commission: launch an EU-wide awareness-raising campaign; provide information and support; promote training activities for judicial and law enforcement authorities; and provide EU funding as needed;
  • Member States: ensure full and correct implementation of the Victims' Rights directive and other instruments; launch national awareness campaigns; support civil society including with EU funding;
  • Victim support organisations: engage with national authorities and participate in mutual training activities;

2. Improving support and protection of the most vulnerable victims

  • European Commission: build on lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic; promote integrated and targeted approach to support victims with special needs (child or elderly victims, victims of gender-based violence or of hate crime, disabled victims); complete the EU accession to the Istanbul Convention or adopt alternative measures to achieve the same objective; assess introduction of minimum standards on victims' physical protection as well as assess reporting tools for migrant victims or victims in detention (with possible legislative proposals by 2022); implement guidance on protecting victims of hate crime and hate speech; and ensure a smooth functioning of the EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism;
  • Member States: take actions building on lessons from Covid-19 pandemic, in particular in relation to better support and protection of victims of gender-based and domestic violence; set up specialist support services for the most vulnerable, such as Child Houses, Family Houses, LGBTI+ safe houses; facilitate cooperation and coordination between judicial and law enforcement authorities and social and health care workers;
  • Civil society organisations: provide support to victims in cooperation with national authorities;

3. Facilitating victims’ access to compensation

  • European Commission: monitor and assess the EU legislation on compensation, including state compensation, offender’s compensation and if necessary propose measures to complement this framework by 2022;
  • Member States: evaluate national compensation schemes and, if necessary, eliminate the existing procedural hurdles; ensure funding for fair and appropriate state compensation for violent, intentional crimes, including for victims of terrorism; ensure that victims are not exposed to secondary victimisation during the compensation procedure; cooperate with other Member States in cross-border cases;
  • Victim support organisations: engage with the national compensation authorities to offer support, exchange best practices and mutual training activities; the European Network on Victims’ Rights and the European network of contact points for compensation should explore how to improve their cooperation and increase the efficiency;

4. Strengthening cooperation and coordination among all relevant actors

  • European Commission: set up the Victims' Rights Platform gathering EU level actors;
  • Member States: set up national victims' rights strategies with a holistic approach and involving all relevant actors; promote higher involvement of the civil society into national actions;

5. Strengthening the international dimension of victims’ rights

  • European Union: strengthen cooperation with international and regional partners, such as the United Nations and the Council of Europe to promote high international standards for victims’ rights; use EU funding and political dialogue to advocate victims’ rights and to ensure access to justice for victims in partner countries; promote cooperation to improve support and protection for EU citizens victimised in third countries.

References:

Further reading:

Author: Martina Prpic, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu

As of 20/03/2024.