Article 1 
1. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (‘the Convention’) is hereby approved on behalf of the Union ( 4 ) with regard to matters related to judicial cooperation in criminal matters and to asylum and non-refoulement, insofar as they fall within the exclusive competence of the Union. 2. The Union’s accession to the Convention shall be without prejudice to the Member States’ competence as regards the ratification of the Convention on matters falling within their national competences.
Article 2 
The President of the Council shall designate the person(s) empowered to deposit, on behalf of the Union, the instrument of approval provided for in Article 75(2) and (4) of the Convention.
Article 3 
The Commission shall act as the Union’s coordinating body in accordance with Article 10 of the Convention and fulfil the reporting obligations under Chapter IX for matters of the Convention falling under exclusive Union competence, without prejudice to the competences of the Member States and the autonomy of the institutions of the Union in matters relating to their respective operations.
Article 4 
This Decision shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.