Our recommendations to the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
The Council of the EU is one of the decision bodies of the European Union, co-leading with the Parliament on the negotiation and adoption of laws. Every 6 months, the Council of the EU changes Presidency on a rotating basis amongst member states. We use this opportunity to communicate our recommendations to the Presidency of the Council.
We are pleased to announce that on the 2nd of February 2023, we addressed Sweden with a letter of recommendations for their semester as President of the Council.
Based on the core values of the EU and the Council Conclusions "Preventing and combating all forms of violence against women and girls, including female genital mutilation" of June 2014 and on the programme and priorities of the Swedish Presidency, End FGM EU called on the Presidency and the Council to:
- Tackle Gender-Based Violence, with a focus on prevention, and ensure the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention (IC) by the EU and all Member States;
- Work with the European Commission and Member States to ensure the effective transposition and implementation in all EU Member States of Directive 2012/29/EU (Victims’ Rights Directive);
- Prioritise sexual and reproductive health rights, with a holistic approach that includes mental health support, especially for survivors of gender-based violence;
- Grant international protection to survivors and people at risk of gender-based violence. Advance negotiations towards a fair Migration and Asylum Pact, in line with the EU’s fundamental values and human rights guarantees.
We also support the Swedish Presidency’s intention to move forward with a Directive on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. The proposed Directive should be strengthened and pursued as a complementary tool to protect victims of gender-based violence across the EU.
We stand ready to support the Swedish Presidency in delivering on commitments around human rights and core EU values.
