Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union at the 18th meeting of the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence on the adoption of recommendations and conclusions addressed to 10 State Parties on their implementation of that Convention, with regard to matters related to institutions and public administration of the Union
Date: 2025-05-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission
Subjects: EU institution, European convention, external competence (EU), gender equality, help for victims, public administration, recommendation, sexual violence, violence, women's rights

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 13.5.2025  COM(2025) 245 final 2025/0117 (NLE)  Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union at the 18th meeting of the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence on the adoption of recommendations and conclusions addressed to 10 State Parties on their implementation of that Convention, with regard to matters related to institutions and public administration of the Union   
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE PROPOSAL 

This  proposal  concerns  the  decision  establishing  the  position  to  be  taken  on  the  Union’s 
behalf,  at  the  18th  meeting  of  Committee  of  the  Parties  (‘CoP’)  of  the  Council  of  Europe 
Convention  on  preventing  and  combating  violence  against  women  and  domestic  violence 
(‘the  Istanbul  Convention’  or  ‘the  Convention’)  on  5-6 June  2025,  in  connection  with  the 
envisaged adoption of eight draft recommendations and two draft conclusions addressed to 10 
Parties on their implementation of the Convention2. 

2. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

2.1. 

The Istanbul Convention 

The Istanbul Convention lays down a comprehensive and harmonised set of rules to prevent 
and  combat  violence  against  women  and  domestic  violence  in  Europe  and  beyond.  The 
Convention entered into force on 1 August 2014. 

The EU signed the Convention in June 2017. and completed the accession procedure with the 
deposit of two instruments of approval on 28 June 2023, triggering the entry into force of the 
Convention for the EU on 1 October 2023. The EU has acceded to the Convention as regards 
matters  falling  within  its  exclusive  competence,  namely  with  regard  to  matters  related  to 
institutions  and  public  administration  of  the  Union1  and  with  regard  to  matters  related  to 
judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and non-refoulement2. All EU Member States 
have signed the Convention and 22 have ratified it3. 

The Committee of the Parties 

2.2. 
The  CoP4  is  composed  of  the  representatives  of  the  Parties  to  the  Convention.  Parties  must 
endeavour  to  nominate,  as  their  representatives,  experts  of  the  highest  possible  rank  in  the 
field of preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence5. The tasks 
entrusted to the CoP are listed in Rule 1 of its Rules of Procedure6. On 1 October 2023 the EU 
became a Party to the Istanbul Convention, and as such a member of the CoP (Article 67(1) of 
the Convention). 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 
6 

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,  OJ  L  143 I, 
2.6.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/1075/oj. 
Council Decision (EU) 2023/1076 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 matters related to judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and 
non-refoulement, OJ L 143 I, 2.6.2023, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/1076/oj). 
Status  of  ratifications  on  24.4.2025:  AT  (2013);  BE  (2016);  CY  (2017);  DE  (2017);  DK  (2014);  IE 
(2019); EL (2018); ES (2014); EE (2017) FI (2015); FR (2014); HR (2018); IT (2013); LU (2018); MT 
(2014); NL (2015); PL (2015); PT (2013); RO (2016); SI (2015); SV (2014), LV (2023). 
Committee of the Parties  - Istanbul Convention Action against violence against women and domestic 
violence (coe.int) 
Rule 2.1.b of the Rules of Procedures of the Committee of the Parties. 
Document IC-CP(2015)2, adopted on 4 May 2015. 

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2.3. 

The monitoring mechanism of the Istanbul Convention 

to  ensure  effective 
The Istanbul  Convention  establishes  a  monitoring  mechanism 
implementation  by  the  Parties7.  The  purpose  is  to  assess  how  the  Convention  is  put  into 
practice  and  to  provide  guidance  to  the  Parties.  The  monitoring  mechanism  consists  of  two 
distinct, but interacting, bodies: an independent expert body (the Group of Experts on Action 
against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence ‘GREVIO’); and the CoP. 

GREVIO  is  an  independent  group  of  experts  tasked  to  monitor  the  implementation  of  the 
Istanbul  Convention  on  a  country-by-country  basis,  in  accordance  with  Article 66(1)  of  the 
Convention.  The  monitoring  procedure  is  set  out  in  Article 68  of  the  Convention.  In 
accordance with Article 68(1) of the Convention, new Parties are required to submit a report, 
based on a questionnaire prepared by GREVIO, detailing legislative and other measures taken 
to  give  effect  to  the  Convention.  GREVIO  prepares  a  report  on  the  measures  taken  by  the 
Party concerned to implement the Convention and gives suggestions and proposals on the way 
in which the Party may deal with problems that have been identified8. 

Based on the GREVIO reports, the CoP, in accordance with Article 68(12) of the Convention, 
may adopt recommendations addressed to the Party concerned on the implementation of the 
Convention and set a date for the Party to submit a response on their implementation. Based 
on this provision, the CoP has been adopting recommendations to Parties which differentiate 
between actions  that should  be taken as  soon  as possible, with  a requirement to  report back 
within  a  three  year-period,  and  actions  that  while  important,  do  not  carry  the  same  level  of 
immediacy. At the end of the three-year period, the Party must report back to the CoP on the 
progress made in implementing the recommendations that were addressed to it. On the basis 
of  this  information,  and  any  additional  information  obtained,  ,  the  Secretariat  of  the 
Committee9  prepares  the  conclusions  on  the  implementation  of  the  recommendations  =in 
relation to each Party under review, which the CoP adopts. 

As  the  baseline  evaluation  procedure  has  been  completed  for  nearly  all  Parties,  GREVIO 
decided in  late 2022 to  move to  the next  phase  in  its evaluation.  Under  Article 68(3) of the 
Convention,  GREVIO’s  evaluation  procedures  following  the  baseline  evaluation  shall  be 
divided  into  rounds  (‘thematic  evaluation  rounds’).  The  first  thematic  evaluation  round  is 
entitled ‘Building Trust by Delivering Support, Protection and Justice’ which runs from 2023 
to 2031. While the baseline evaluation covered around 60 articles of the Istanbul Convention, 
the new thematic evaluation procedure addresses 20 articles, namely Articles 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 
14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 31, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 and 56. These articles set out standards for 
law  enforcement  agencies,  criminal  justice  actors,  the  provision  of  general  and  specialist 
support services for victims, and an overall victim-centred approach. The aim is to provide a 
more in-depth assessment of these areas, focusing on the progress made under each article.  

In  its  Opinion  1/19  (Istanbul  Convention)  of  6  October  2021  (EU:C:2021:832,  paragraph 
305),  the  Court  of  Justice  has  confirmed  that  a  significant  part  of  the  obligations  of  the 
Convention are, in essence, binding on the Union as regards the staff in its administration and 
as  regards  the  member  of  the  public  visiting  the  premises  and  buildings  of  its  institutions, 
agencies  and bodies. As regards the  20 specific  provisions that the first  thematic evaluation 
round covers, the Court has confirmed that 17 of those provisions also apply with regard to 

7 
8 
9 

Article 1(2) of the Istanbul Convention. 
Article 68(10)of the Istanbul Convention. 
The  applicable  procedure  for  supervising  the  implementation  and  the  reporting  is  defined  in  the 
‘Framework  for  supervising  the  implementation  of  the  recommendations  addressed  to  state  parties’, 
adopted by the CoP on 13 April 2021, IC-CP/Inf(2021)2. 

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the  Union  and  its  own  public  administration,  namely  all  of  the  above  mentioned  provisions 
except Articles 3, 31 and 48 of the Convention. At the same time, the extent of the Union’s 
obligations should be interpreted bearing in mind its specific nature and powers. In particular, 
since  the  EU’s  public  administration  is  not  endowed  with  law  enforcement  powers, 
recommendations  relating  to  matters  of  law  enforcement,  such  as  the  issue  of  emergency 
barring orders, should be interpreted as requiring to ensure the safety of the victim within the 
limits of its powers, for example by refusing alleged perpetrators access to the premises of the 
institutions. 

At its last meeting in December 2024, the CoP adopted a Decision on the recommendations to 
be adopted by the Committee of the Parties in light of GREVIO’s reports adopted as part of 
its first thematic round of evaluation [IC-CP(2024)10 rev]. 

To  date,  the  CoP’s  practice  has  been  to  adopt  recommendations  and  conclusions  based  on 
consensus  at  its  meetings  which  take  place  upon  request10  by  one  third  of  the  Parties,  the 
President of the Committee of the Parties or the Secretary General, normally twice a year. 

2.4. 

The envisaged acts of the Committee of the Parties 

On 5-6 June 2025, during its 18th meeting, it is foreseen that the CoP will proceed with the 
adoption of the following eight draft recommendations based on the first thematic evaluation 
round,  and  three  conclusions  (‘the  envisaged  acts’  or  ‘the  draft  recommendations  and 
conclusions’): 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Albania  [IC-CP(2025)2-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Austria  [IC-CP(2025)3-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Denmark  [IC-CP(2025)4-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Finland  [IC-CP(2025)5-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Monaco  [IC-CP(2025)6-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice on the basis of the Istanbul Convention by Montenegro [IC-CP(2025)7-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice on the basis of the Istanbul Convention by Spain [IC-CP(2025)8-prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Sweden  [IC-CP(2025)9-
prov]; 

10 

Article 67(2) of the Convention. 

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– 

– 

Conclusions  on  the  implementation  of  recommendations  in  respect  of  San 
Marino adopted by the Committee of the Parties [IC-CP(2025)10-prov]; and 

Conclusions on the implementation of recommendations in respect of Slovenia 
adopted by the Committee of the Parties [IC-CP(2025)11-prov]. 

3. 

POSITION TO BE TAKEN ON THE UNION’S BEHALF 

the  Parties’ 

The  envisaged  acts  are  addressed  to  10  Parties  and  include  recommendations  (based  on  the 
first  thematic  evaluation  procedure)  on  measures  to  be  taken  to  implement  the  Istanbul 
Convention  as  well  as  conclusions  on 
implementation  of  previous 
recommendations.  They  concern  the  implementation  of  provisions  of  the  Convention  by 
relevant institutions and the public administration. The Union has acceded to the Convention 
insofar as it applies to its institutions and public administration and has exclusive competence 
to accept obligations set out in the Convention with regard to its own institutions and public 
administration,  within  the  scope  of  Article 336  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the 
European Union (TFEU). It is therefore appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the 
Union’s behalf in the CoP with regard to institutions and public administration of the Union, 
as the envisaged acts  are capable of decisively  influencing  the content  of  Union law in  that 
they may affect the interpretation of relevant provisions of the Convention in the future. 

The draft recommendations and conclusions on matters falling within the competence of the 
Union with regard to its own institutions and public administration, are in line with  Union’s 
policies and objectives and do not raise any concerns with respect to Union law. It is therefore 
proposed  that  the  Union  does  not  object  to  the  adoption  of  the  draft  recommendations  and 
conclusions at the 18th meeting of the CoP. 

4. 

LEGAL BASIS 

4.1. 

Procedural legal basis 

4.1.1.  Principles 

Article 218(9) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides for 
decisions establishing ‘the positions to be adopted on the Union’s behalf in a body set up by 
an  agreement,  when  that  body  is  called  upon  to  adopt  acts  having  legal  effects,  with  the 
exception of acts supplementing or amending the institutional framework of the agreement.’ 

The concept of ‘acts having legal effects’ includes acts that have legal effects by virtue of the 
rules of international law governing the body in question. It also includes instruments that do 
not  have  a  binding  effect  under  international  law,  but  that  are  ‘capable  of  decisively 
influencing the content of the legislation adopted by the EU legislature’11. 

4.1.2.  Application to the present case 

The CoP is a body set up  by the Istanbul Convention. The envisaged acts which the CoP is 
called  upon  to  adopt  constitute  acts  having  legal  effects.  The  envisaged  acts  are  capable  of 
decisively influencing the content of Union law, because they may affect the interpretation of 
the  relevant  provisions  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  in  the  future.  Therefore,  the  procedural 
legal basis for the proposed decision is Article 218(9) TFEU. 

11 

Judgment  of 
ECLI:EU:C:2014:2258, paragraphs 61 to 64. 

the  Court  of  Justice  of  7 October  2014,  Germany  v  Council,  C-399/12, 

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4.2. 

Substantive legal basis 

4.2.1.  Principles 

The  substantive  legal  basis  for  a  decision  under  Article 218(9)  TFEU  depends  primarily  on 
the objective and content of the envisaged act in respect of which a position is taken on the 
Union’s behalf. If the envisaged act pursues two aims or has two components and if one of 
those  aims  or  components  is  identifiable  as  the  main  one,  whereas  the  other  is  merely 
incidental, the decision under Article 218(9) TFEU must be founded on a single substantive 
legal basis, namely that required by the main or predominant aim or component. 

With regard to an envisaged act that simultaneously pursues a number of objectives, or that 
has  several  components,  which  are  inseparably  linked  without  one  being  incidental  to  the 
other,  the  substantive  legal  basis  of  a  decision  under  Article 218(9)  TFEU  will  have  to 
include, exceptionally, the various corresponding legal bases. 

4.2.2.  Application to the present case 

As  regards  the  substantive  legal  basis,  the  EU  has  acceded  to  the  Istanbul  Convention  as 
regards matters falling within its exclusive competence, namely with regard to matters related 
to institutions and public administration of the Union12 and with regard to matters related to 
judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and non-refoulement13. The EU’s  accession 
to the Istanbul Convention was split into two separate Council decisions to take into account 
the special position of Denmark and Ireland with respect to Title V TFEU. Consequently, the 
decision establishing the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf in the CoP also needs to 
be split into two decisions, when the relevant recommendations or conclusions concern both 
matters.  The  proposed  decision  concerns  matters  related  to  institutions  and  public 
administration  of  the  Union.  Therefore,  the  substantive  legal  basis  for  this  decision  is 
Article 336 TFEU. 

4.3. 

Conclusion 

The legal basis of the proposed decision should be Article 336 TFEU, in conjunction with 
Article 218(9) TFEU.

12 

13 

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  (OJ  L  143 I, 
2.6.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/1075/OJ). 
Council Decision (EU) 2023/1076 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 matters related to judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and 
non-refoulement (OJ L 143 I, 2.6.2023, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/1076/OJ). 

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2025/0117 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL DECISION 

on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union at the 18th meeting of the 
Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and 
combating violence against women and domestic violence on the adoption of 
recommendations and conclusions addressed to 10 State Parties on their implementation 
of that Convention, with regard to matters related to institutions and public 
administration of the Union 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Article 336, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

14 

15 

The  Council  of  Europe  Convention  on  preventing  and  combating  violence  against 
women  and  domestic  violence  (‘the  Convention’)  was  concluded  by  the  Union  by 
Council  Decision  (EU)  2023/107514  with  regard 
institutions  and  public 
administration of the Union, and by Council Decision (EU) 2023/107615 with regard to 
matters  related  to  judicial  cooperation  in  criminal  matters,  asylum  and  non-
refoulement,  insofar  as  they  fall  within  the  exclusive  competence  of  the  Union,  and 
entered into force for the Union on 1 October 2023. 

to 

Pursuant  to  Article 66(1)  of  the  Convention,  the  Group  of  experts  on  action  against 
violence  against  women  and  domestic  violence  (‘GREVIO’)  is  to  monitor  the 
implementation of the Convention by the Parties. In accordance with Article 68(11) of 
the Convention, GREVIO is to adopt its report and conclusions on the measures taken 
by the Party concerned to implement the provisions of the Convention. 

The  Committee  of  the  Parties  to  the  Convention  may  adopt  recommendations 
addressed  to  the  Party  concerned,  in  accordance  with  Article 68(12)  of  the 
Convention. The recommendations are based on the GREVIO report and differentiate 
between those measures which the Committee of the Parties considers the Party should 
take as soon as possible, with a requirement to report back within a three-year period, 
and  those  measures    which,  while  important,  do  not  carry  the  same  level  of 

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  (OJ  L  143 I, 
2.6.2023, p. 1), Decision - 2023/1075 - EN - EUR-Lex. 
Council Decision (EU) 2023/1076 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 matters related to judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and 
non-refoulement (OJ L 143 I, 2.6.2023 p. 4), Decision - 2023/1076 - EN - EUR-Lex. 

EN 

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immediacy.  At  the  end  of  the  three-year  period,  the  Party  must  report  back  to  the 
Committee  of  the  Parties  on  the  measures  taken,  within  10  specific  areas  of  the 
Convention. On the basis of that information and any additional information obtained, 
the  Committee  of  the  Parties  adopts  conclusions  on  the  implementation  of  the 
recommendations, prepared by the Secretariat of the Committee. 

Pursuant  to  Article 68(3)  of  the  Convention,  the  evaluation  procedures  following 
GREVIO’s  initial  baseline  evaluation  procedure  are  to  be  divided  into  rounds 
(‘thematic  evaluation  rounds’).  The  first  thematic  evaluation  round  is  entitled 
‘Building  Trust  by  Delivering  Support,  Protection  and  Justice’  and  addresses  20 
specific articles of the Convention, namely Articles 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 
22, 25, 31, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 and 56. At its last meeting on 17  December 2024, the 
CoP adopted a Decision on the recommendations to be adopted by the Committee of 
the Parties in light of GREVIO’s reports adopted as part of its first thematic round of 
evaluation [IC-CP(2024)10 rev]. 

The Committee of the Parties, during its 18th meeting on 5-6 June 2025, is expected to 
adopt  eight  draft  recommendations  based  on  the  first  thematic  evaluation  round 
entitled ‘Building Trust by Delivering Support,  Protection and Justice’ and two draft 
conclusions,  on  the  implementation  of  the  Convention  by  10  Parties’  (the  ‘draft 
recommendations and conclusions’): 

(4) 

(5) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Albania  [IC-CP(2025)2-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Austria  [IC-CP(2025)3-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Denmark  [IC-CP(2025)4-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Finland  [IC-CP(2025)5-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Monaco  [IC-CP(2025)6-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice on the basis of the Istanbul Convention by Montenegro [IC-CP(2025)7-
prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice on the basis of the Istanbul Convention by Spain [IC-CP(2025)8-prov]; 

Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Sweden  [IC-CP(2025)9-
prov]; 

Conclusions  on  the  implementation  of  recommendations  in  respect  of  San 
Marino adopted by the Committee of the Parties [IC-CP(2025)10-prov]; and 

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(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

– 

Conclusions on the implementation of recommendations in respect of Slovenia 
adopted by the Committee of the Parties [IC-CP(2025)11-prov]. 

The Union has exclusive competence to accept obligations set out in the Convention 
with  regard  to  its  own  institutions  and  public  administration,  within  the  scope  of 
Article 336  of  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union.  In  its  Opinion 
1/19  (Istanbul  Convention)  of  6 October  2021,  EU:C:2021:832,  paragraph 305,  the 
Court of Justice of the European Union held that a significant part of the obligations of 
the Convention relating to the adoption of preventive and protection measures are, in 
essence, binding on the Union as regards the staff in its administration and as regards 
the  members  of  the  public  visiting  the  premises  and  buildings  of  its  institutions, 
agencies and bodies. Moreover, in paragraph 307 of the same Opinion, the Court held 
that  the  Union  should  not  confine  itself  to  establishing  minimum  requirements  or 
supporting measures, but should itself ensure that these obligations are fully satisfied. 
At the same time, the extent of the Union’s obligations should be interpreted bearing 
in  mind  its  specific  nature  and  powers.  In  particular,  since  the  Union’s  public 
administration  is  not  endowed  with  law  enforcement  powers,  recommendations 
relating to matters of law enforcement, such as the issue of emergency barring orders, 
should be interpreted as requiring to ensure the safety of the victim within the limits of 
its powers, for example by refusing alleged perpetrators access to the premises of the 
institutions. 

The draft recommendations and conclusions concern the implementation of provisions 
of the Convention which also apply to the Union with regard to   its own institutions 
and  public  administration.  It  is  therefore  appropriate  to  establish  the  position  to  be 
taken  on  the  Union’s  behalf  in  the  Committee  of  the  Parties  with  regard  to  matters 
related to institutions and public administration of the Union, as the envisaged acts are 
capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law in that they may affect the 
interpretation of relevant provisions of the Convention in the future.  

As  regards  Albania,  the  draft  recommendations  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention include the need to ensure that relevant policies and measures  to prevent 
and  combat  all  forms  of  violence  against  women  are  provided  with  sufficient  and 
sustainable  funding,  including  through  transparent  procedures  to  secure  funding  for 
women’s  rights  organisations  (Article   8  of  the  Convention);  promote  awareness-
raising  campaigns  or  programmes  and  to  regularly  assess  their  impact  (Article 12  of 
the Convention); take measures to strengthen the effectiveness of training, including in 
the  light  of  staff  turnover  (Article 15  of  the  Convention);  expand  the  existing 
perpetrator programmes and introduce programmes aimed specifically at  perpetrators 
of sexual violence (Article 16 of the Convention); increase the funding and the number 
of  available  services  for  women  victims,  especially  for  women  with  special  needs 
(Article 20  of  the  Convention);  ensure  victims  have  access  to  comprehensive 
healthcare  services  (Article 20  of  the  Convention);  ensure  helplines  receive  funding 
(Article 22 of the Convention);  ensure that victims of sexual violence have access to 
forensic examination free of charge  (Article 25 of the Convention); take measures to 
improve reporting by women victims and ensure a victim-centred and gender-sensitive 
response  in  such  cases  (Articles  49  and  50);    ensure  that  risk  assessment  and  risk 
management procedures are applied in cases concerning all forms of violence covered 
by  the  Convention  (Article 51  of  the  Convention);  make  better  use  of  emergency 
barring  orders  (Article 52  of  the  Convention);    ensure  that  protection  orders  are 
available  and  accessible  to  all  victims  (Article 53  of  the  Convention),    evaluate  the 
implementation of protection measures and ensure they are in line with the Convention 

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(9) 

(Article 56 of the Convention).  As the  recommendations  on these matters are in  line 
with the Union’s policies and objectives and do not raise any concerns with respect to 
Union  law,  the  position  of  the  Union  should  be  to  not  object  to  the  adoption  of  the 
recommendation addressed to Albania. 

As  regards  Austria,  the  draft  recommendations  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention  includes  the  need  to  develop  a  long-term  comprehensive  action 
plan/strategic  policy  document  on  all  forms  of  violence  covered  by  the  Convention 
(Article 7 of the Convention); collect disaggregated data on the number of women and 
girls  who  contact  the  social  services  seeking  help  in  relation  to  their  experiences  of 
violence  against  women  (Article  11  of  the  Convention);  inform  victims  of  the 
availability of support services (Article 12 of the Convention); monitor how teaching 
materials  approach  issues  related  to  domestic  violence  and  violence  against  women 
(Article  14  of  the  Convention);  provide  training  for  staff  in  general  support  services 
(Article 15  of  the  Convention);  ensure  that  victims  have  access  to  sustainable  and 
affordable  housing  options  and  ensure  the  issuance  of  forensic  reports  documenting 
injuries  (Article  20  of  the  Convention);  ensure  that  places  in  shelters  are  available 
(Article 22 of the Convention); set up further sexual violence referral centres   across 
the country with qualified professionals who provide support and referrals in line with 
the  Convention,  and  in  the  interim  ensure  that  existing  medical  services  offer 
appropriate support to victims (Article 25 of the Convention); ensure that sanctions are 
commensurate with the gravity of the offence in all cases concerning forms of violence 
against women covered by the Convention (Articles 49 and 50) and  ensure the use of 
protection  orders  and  avoid  gaps  between  barring  orders  and  protection  orders 
(Articles 52 and 53 of the Convention). As the recommendations on these matters are 
in  line  with  the  Union’s  policies  and  objectives  and  do  not  raise  any  concerns  with 
respect to Union law, the position of the Union should be to not object to the adoption 
of the recommendation addressed to Austria. 

(10)  As  regards  Denmark,  the  draft  recommendation  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention  includes  the  need  to    ensure  that  the  gendered  nature  of  all  forms  of 
violence against women and domestic violence receives the necessary policy attention 
(Article 7  of  the  Convention);  pursue  efforts  to  implement  gender-responsive 
budgeting  (Article 8  of  the  Convention);    guarantee  confidentiality  in  data  collection 
(Article 11  of  the  Convention);  prioritise  a  gender-sensitive  approach  in  preventive 
initiatives (Article 12 of the Convention); maximise the impact  of training efforts by 
drawing  on  the  expertise  of  women’s  rights  organisations  (Article 15  of  the 
Convention);  set-up  institutionalised  structures  for  cooperation  to  ensure  effective 
multi-agency cooperation (Article 18 of the Convention);  ensure victims have access 
to long-term psychological counselling (Articles 22 and 25 of the Convention);  raise 
awareness  among  criminal  justice  actors  about  new  criminal  legislation  (Articles  49 
and  50  of  the  Convention);  ensure  that  risk  assessment  is  conducted  in  coordination 
with  relevant  actors  (Article 51  of  the  Convention);  increase  the  use  of  emergency 
barring orders and protection orders to ensure victim protection (Articles 52 and 53 of 
the Convention) and ensure the proper implementation of victim protection measures 
in  investigations  and  judicial  proceedings  (Article 56  of  the  Convention).  As  the 
recommendations on these matters are in line with the Union’s policies and objectives 
and  do  not  raise  any  concerns  with  respect  to  Union  law,  the  position  of  the  Union 
should be to not object to the adoption of the recommendation addressed to Denmark. 

(11)  As  regards  Finland,  the  draft  recommendation  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention  includes  the  need  to  develop  a  long-term  national  strategy  to  ensure  a 

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comprehensive,  coordinated  approach  (Article 7  of 
the  Convention);  ensure 
sustainable  financing  mechanisms  for  non-governmental  organisations  providing 
specialist support to victims (Article 8 of the Convention); establish standardised data 
categories  and  harmonise  data  collection  systems  (Article 11  of  the  Convention);  
regularly  conduct  awareness-raising  campaigns  (Article 12  of  the  Convention);  
evaluate  training  and  draw  on  the  expertise  of  women’s  rights  organisations 
(Article 15  of  the  Convention);  establish  perpetrator  programmes  for  domestic 
violence  (Article 16  of  the  Convention);  establish  institutionalised  multi-agency 
coordination structures among relevant actors (Article 18 of the Convention); establish 
support  services  to  facilitate  victims’  recovery  and  independence  (Article  20  of  the 
Convention) ensure the availability of support services (Article 22 of the Convention); 
ensure  the  geographical  distribution  of  rape  crisis  centres  to  ensure  support  to  all 
victims of sexual violence (Article 25 of the Convention); ensure timely investigations 
and  proactive  evidence  collection  beyond  victim  statements  to  enable  effective 
prosecution of violence against women cases (Articles 49 and 50 of the Convention)  
take  measures  to  establish  a  standardised  risk  assessment  mechanism  applied 
systematically  (Article 51  of  the  Convention);  and  increase  the  use  of  emergency 
barring  orders and strengthen  the use of restraining  and protection orders (Article 52 
and 53 of the Convention). As the recommendations on these matters are in line with 
the  Union’s  policies  and  objectives  and  do  not  raise  any  concerns  with  respect  to 
Union  law,  the  position  of  the  Union  should  be  to  not  object  to  the  adoption  of  the 
recommendation addressed to Finland. 

(12)  As  regards  Monaco,  the  draft  recommendation  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention includes the need to  develop a long-term overarching strategy to achieve 
a  comprehensive  and  coordinated  policy  approach  (Article 7  of  the  Convention);  
continue  to  develop  the  collection  of  data  on  all  forms  of  violence  against  women 
covered  by  the  Convention  (Article 11  of  the  Convention);    expand  measures  to 
prevent domestic violence to include other forms of violence covered by the Istanbul 
Convention  (Article 12  of  the  Convention);  produce  teaching  material  on  violence 
against women (Article 14 of the Convention); set up programmes for perpetrators of 
violence (Article 16 of the Convention); set up a helpline for women that are victims 
of  violence  (Article 22  of  the  Convention);    set  up  a  rape  crisis  and  sexual  violence 
referral  centre  so  that  victim  have  access  to  psychological  counselling  and  support 
(Article 25 of the Convention); ensure professionals involved in criminal proceedings 
have sufficient  expertise and receive gender-sensitive training (Articles 49 and 50 of 
the  Convention);    standardise  the  practise  of  coordinated  risk  assessment  to  relevant 
services  on  all  forms  of  violence  covered  by  the  Convention  (Article 51  of  the 
Convention)  and  ensure  the  rights  and  interests  of  victims  are  protected  during 
investigations  and  judicial  proceedings  (Article 56  of  the  Convention).  As  the 
recommendations on these matters are in line with the Union’s policies and objectives 
and  do  not  raise  any  concerns  with  respect  to  Union  law,  the  position  of  the  Union 
should be to not object to the adoption of the recommendation addressed to Monaco. 

(13)  As  regards  Montenegro,  the  draft  recommendation  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention includes the need to  ensure appropriate human and financial resources for 
policies, measures and legislation aimed at preventing and combating violence against 
women,  and  to  ensure  sustainable  funding  for  non-governmental  organisations 
(Article 8 of the Convention);  ensure the collection and disaggregation of data by all 
relevant  stakeholders  (Article 11  of  the  Convention);  step  up  efforts  to  implement 
regular  preventive  measures,  conduct  awareness-raising  campaigns  and  highlight  the 
heightened  risk  of  violence  faced  by  victims  of  intersectional  discrimination 

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(Article 12 of the Convention); increase efforts to address stereotypes and prejudices 
towards  women  in  the  areas  of  formal  education,  culture  and  media  (Article  14);  
ensure training on violence against women for all professionals who come into contact 
with  victims  (Article 15  of  the  Convention);  set  up  and  expand  programmes  for 
perpetrators  of  domestic  violence  and  perpetrators  of  sexual  violence    (Article 16  of 
the Convention);  increase efforts to boost multi-agency cooperation (Article 18 of the 
Convention);  ensure  that  healthcare  providers  give  priority  to  women  victims  of 
violence against women and domestic violence and respect their privacy (Article 20 of 
the Convention); increase the availability of specialist support services and counselling 
for  victims  (Article 22  of  the  Convention);  set  up  rape  crisis  centres  and/or  sexual 
violence  referral  throughout  the  country  to  provide  support  and  to  refer  victims  to 
psychological  support  (Article 25  of  the  Convention); 
  prevent  the  repeated 
questioning  of  victims  of  violence  against  women  (Article 49  and  50  of  the 
Convention);  ensure  that  risk  assessments  are  systematically  carried  out  in  cases  of 
domestic  violence  (Article 51  of  the  Convention);  ensure  that  emergency  barring 
orders are available and protection orders effectively monitored (Articles 52 and 53 of 
the  Convention);  and  ensure  the  effective  use  of  existing  protection  measures  and 
introduce additional protection measures in line with the Convention (Article 56 of the 
Convention).  As  the  recommendations  on  these  matters  are  in  line  with  the  Union’s 
policies and objectives and do not raise any concerns with  respect  to  Union law, the 
position of the Union should be to not object to the adoption of the recommendation 
addressed to Montenegro. 

(14)  As regards Spain, the draft recommendation on its implementation of the Convention 
includes the need to  involve non-governmental organisations in policymaking and in 
the evaluation of policies and measures (Article 7 of the Convention);ensure that data 
collected  are  disaggregated  (Article 11  of  the  Convention);    teach  children  about  the 
central role of consent in sexual relationships (Article 14 of the Convention);  step up 
the  training  of  all  relevant  professionals  dealing  with  victims  and  perpetrators  of 
violence  against  women  (Article 15  of  the  Convention);  improve  the  compliance  of 
perpetrator  programmes  with  the  Convention  (Article 16  of  the  Convention)  set  up 
multi-agency cooperation mechanisms (Article 18 of the Convention); ensure victims 
of  sexual  violence  have  access  to  support  services  (Article 25  of  the  Convention);  
address  factors  that  prevent  victims  from  reporting  and  that  lead  to  secondary 
victimisation (Articles 49 and 50 of the Convention); and ensure competent authorities 
have  access  to  emergency  barring  orders  in  line  with  the  Convention  and    take 
measures to properly address breaches of protection orders (Articles 52 and 53 of the 
Convention).  As  the  recommendations  on  these  matters  are  in  line  with  the  Union’s 
policies and objectives  and do not raise any concerns with  respect  to  Union law, the 
position of the Union should be to not object to the adoption of the recommendation 
addressed to Spain. 

(15)  As  regards  Sweden,  the  draft  recommendation  on  its  implementation  of  the 
Convention  includes  the  need  to    ensure  that  policies  on  violence  against  women 
consider  the  needs  of  victims  exposed  to  intersectional  discrimination  and  evaluate 
strategies  to  access  their  impact  (Articles  7  of  the  Convention);    ensure  sustainable 
funding  levels  of  women’s  rights  organisations  that  run  specialist  support  services 
(Article 8  of  the  Convention);    ensure  wider  prevention  measures  for  all  forms  of 
violence  against  women  (Article 12  of  the  Convention);  ensure  the  topics  and 
principles listed in  Article 14 of the Convention are taught in  practice (Article 14 of 
the Convention); introduce systematic training on all forms of violence covered by the 
the 
Convention 

relevant  professionals  ensure  evaluation 

(Article 15  of 

for 

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Convention); develop minimum standards for perpetrator programmes in line with the 
Convention and ensure evaluation (Article 16 of the Convention);  adopt coordination 
and cooperation mechanisms among relevant agencies (Article 18 of the Convention); 
ensure that access to healthcare for victims is provided without discrimination (Article 
20);  ensure access to shelters for all victims (Article 22 of the Convention); ensure a 
sufficient number of rape crisis and/or sexual violence centres throughout the country 
(Article 25  of  the  Convention);    take  measures  to  encourage  reporting  by  women  at 
risk  of  intersectional  discrimination  (Articles  49  and  50  of  the  Convention);    ensure 
that risk assessments are systematically carried out for victims and their children, in a 
coordinated manner (Article 51 of the Convention) and  take measures to ensure that 
emergency  barring  orders,  restraining  and  protection  orders  (‘non-contact  orders  for 
the joint home’) are issued swiftly with immediate effect and are effectively monitored 
(Article 52 and 53 of the Convention). As the recommendations on these matters are in 
line  with  the  Union’s  policies  and  objectives  and  do  not  raise  any  concerns  with 
respect to Union law, the position of the Union should be to not object to the adoption 
of the recommendation addressed to Sweden. 

(16)  As regards San Marino, the draft conclusions on its implementation of the Convention 
includes the need to  ensure that the national coordinating body coordinates with civil 
society  organisations  (Article 10  of  the  Convention);  and 
  regularly  conduct 
victimisation surveys and to promote research activities (Article 11 of the Convention) 
.  As  the  conclusions  on  these  matters  are  in  line  with  the  Union’s  policies  and 
objectives and do not raise any concerns with respect to Union law, the position of the 
Union  should  be  to  not  object  to  the  adoption  of  the  conclusion  addressed  to  San 
Marino. 

(17)  As  regards    Slovenia,  the  draft  conclusions  on  its  implementation  of  the Convention 
includes the need to  assign the role of the coordinating body to fully institutionalised 
entities  and to  ensure the necessary human and financial resources (Article 10 of the 
Convention);    ensure  the  comprehensive  collection  of  data  on  all  forms  of  violence 
under  the  Convention  (Article 11  of  the  Convention)  and  to  take  measures  to 
encourage reporting of all forms of violence against women (Article 49 and 50 of the 
Convention). As the conclusions on these matters are in line with the Union’s policies 
and objectives and do not raise any concerns with respect to Union law, the position of 
the  Union  should  be  to  not  object  to  the  adoption  of  the  conclusion  addressed  to 
Slovenia, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 

Article 1 

The position to be taken on behalf of the Union at the 18th meeting of the Committee of the 
Parties, established under Article 67 of the Convention, shall be to not object to the adoption 
of the following acts: 

(1)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Albania  [IC-CP(2025)2-
prov]; 

(2)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Austria  [IC-CP(2025)3-
prov]; 

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(3)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Denmark  [IC-CP(2025)4-
prov]; 

(4)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Finland  [IC-CP(2025)5-
prov]; 

(5)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Monaco  [IC-CP(2025)6-
prov]; 

(6)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice on the basis of the Istanbul Convention by Montenegro [IC-CP(2025)7-
prov]; 

(7)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice on the basis of the Istanbul Convention by Spain [IC-CP(2025)8-prov]; 

(8)  Recommendations  on  improving  trust  by  delivering  support,  protection  and 
justice  on  the  basis  of  the  Istanbul  Convention  by  Sweden  [IC-CP(2025)9-
prov]; 

(9)  Conclusions  on  the  implementation  of  recommendations  in  respect  of  San 

Marino adopted by the Committee of the Parties [IC-CP(2025)10-prov]; and 

(10)  Conclusions on the implementation of recommendations in respect of Slovenia 

adopted by the Committee of the Parties [IC-CP(2025)11-prov]. 

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption. 

Done at Brussels, 

Article 2 

For the Council 
The President 

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