Fittex
Combating violence against women and domestic violence
Violence directed against a woman because she is a woman, or that affects women disproportionately ('gender-based violence against women') is a violation of fundamental rights, and a major obstacle to gender equality in all EU Member States. Despite increased attention, national legislation does not offer equal protection for women against all forms of gender-based violence across the EU, and there are significant gaps in the measures adopted at EU level. On 8 March 2022, the European Commission ...
Digitalising cross-border judicial cooperation
On 23 November 2023, the European Ϸվ approved the compromise reached with the Council in July 2023 on the European Commission proposal for a horizontal regulation on digitalisation of judicial cooperation and access to justice, intended to apply to both civil and criminal cross-border proceedings within the EU. The regulation, proposed back in December 2021, will supplement horizontally, rather than replace, existing rules on the digital delivery of documents, digital hearings and other uses ...
European Day of Justice 2022
Every year since 2004, European Day of Justice has been marked on or around 25 October, offering an opportunity to reflect on the importance of justice and the rule of law. European Day of Justice was originally the idea of the Council of Europe.
Combating violence against women and domestic violence
This briefing provides an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's impact assessment (IA) accompanying the above-mentioned proposal, submitted on 8 March 2022 and referred to the European Ϸվ's Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her political guidelines for the Commission's 2019-2024 term that the EU accession to the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention on preventing ...
Access to justice in environmental matters: Amending the Aarhus Regulation
The European Union is party to the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters. The Aarhus Regulation applies the Convention's provisions to EU institutions and bodies. In 2017, the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, reviewing implementation by the parties, found that the EU fails to comply with its obligations under Article 9, paragraphs 3 and 4 of the convention concerning access to justice by members of ...
Preventing, protecting, providing access to justice: How can states respond to femicide?
Growing awareness of femicide has not universally translated into effective policy and programming. Though legislation relating to gender-based violence and/or femicide exists in many countries, both persist. A combined social, cultural, political and economic approach situates femicide prevention and responses at various levels, including changes in individual behaviour. Using the term ‘femicide’ more frequently at international forums is crucial not only to focus attention on the gendered nature ...
Access to justice in environmental matters
During the May plenary session, Ϸվ is due to vote on a report adopted by its Environment Committee, on a proposal aimed at ensuring EU compliance with its obligations as a party to the 1998 Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.
Justice programme 2021-2027
In May 2018, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation establishing a new Justice programme as part of the new 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). An early second-reading agreement was reached with the Council in trilogue negotiations, which is now expected to be voted by Ϸվ during the April 2021 session.
Responsible private funding of litigation
A responsible TPLF regulatory framework should aim at lowering costs, simplifying unnecessary procedures, increasing the predictability of costs, and delivering efficient services at costs that are proportionate to the amounts in dispute. We explored additional effective safeguards and a number of policy options regarding the contractual, ethical and procedural aspects of TPLF. We then estimated the European added value (EAV) for two alternatives, namely a moderate and a strong regulatory approach ...
This study, commissioned by the European Ϸվ’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the JURI Committee, explores the concept of “Rights of Nature” (RoN) and its different aspects in legal philosophy and international agreements, as well as in legislation and case-law on different levels. The study delves on the ideas of rights of nature in comparison with rights to nature, legal personhood and standing in court for natural entities, and analyses ...