Victims of Crime Directive, EU Council gives green light for final approval
Measures include a hotline for assistance, special protections for minors and faster and simplified reporting procedures
Key points
After the European Parliament, the EU Council also gave the final green light to the Directive strengthening support and protection for victims of crime. The new rules approved will make it easier for victims to report crimes they have suffered, to have access to detailed information on their rights and to an extensive and structured assistance network at European level. Not only that: victims' data will be subject to strict protection protocols.
This directive is actually not really new: it is, in fact, an update of the 2012 European law on the rights, protection and defence of victims of crime (Directive 2012/29/EU).
"This update of the European law sends a clear message: victims deserve the right protection and an effective assistance system," said Costas Fytiris, Minister of Justice and Public Order of the Republic of Cyprus. "No one should have to face the consequences of a crime alone. With the European freephone number 116006, in any corner of Europe, victims will be able to get clarification of their rights and, if they need it, guidance on how to proceed."
There are, in fact, several measures introduced by this legislative restyling. Which, data in hand, was all the more urgent and necessary: according to the European Commission, in fact, there are about 70/75 million crime victims in the EU every year. In France alone, the hotline (116006) receives more than 72,000 calls per year. To date, only 14 European countries offer this service.
But let us try to take a step back and understand what the new features are.
