On the occasion of the Conference in Malta on EU responses to gender-based violence on 3 February, representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council Presidency signed a joint statement calling on the Member States:
– To ratify the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) for those Member States not having done so yet;
– To fully and effectively implement the Istanbul Convention;
– To conclude and finalise the decision on the EU accession to the Convention with a meaningful scope; and
– To engage in a constructive and open dialogue with the Presidency, the Commission and the Council of Europe to clarify that the definition of gender-based violence is the violence that happens to women because they are women and to reaffirm the ongoing commitment to solve the outstanding issues.
The three European institutions also commit themselves to zero tolerance to violence against women and girls.
You can find the exact signatories in the official EU press release:
Further information on the participation of the European Women’s Lobby at the Maltese Conference here