EPP Women over gendergerelateerd geweld en het belang van het verdrag van Lissabon

CDAV maakt deel uit van EVP Vrouwen dat verbonden is aan het Europees Parlement. Ook als CDA Vrouwen besteden we blijvend aandacht aan het voorkomen en bestrijden van gendergerelateerd geweld. Het is een onderwerp dat serieus de aandacht heeft van Rozália Biró, de nieuwe voorzitter van EVP Vrouwen:

Brussels, 16 March 2023

Dear Ms. Kokalari, Dear Arba,

As President of EPP Women, I have followed the developments in the European Parliament regarding the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women continuously and with commitment. I am happy and delighted with the decision of the European Parliament last month, that the EU should ratify the Convention, in line with a 2021 Court of Justice opinion. You were the FEMM rapporteur in charge of preparing this important decision. You and your team succeeded in having the final text being adopted by a huge majority of the Parliament.

Herewith, I cordially would like to express my gratitude and congratulations for your work on this important issue. I am proud to say that it was a MEP of our EPP political family who took the lead in setting the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by the EU on the parliamentary agenda and bringing it successfully to the vote. EPP Women have been fighting for signing, ratifying and implementing the Istanbul Convention already since 2011. We have called upon our national women’s organizations in as well as outside the EU Member States to put pressure on their parties and governments to sign and ratify the Convention and put measures in place on prevention, protection, prosecution and adequate provision to services to victims of gender-based violence. We have involved members of the EPP Presidency and the EPP Group in the European Parliament in our fight to combat violence against women.

However, as you know there still are several EU-countries that did not yet ratify the Istanbul Convention themselves, being Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia. Like you, we also are worried about the backlash against gender equality and women's rights in several EU Member States and EU accession countries. In particular, we are shocked by the aim of the Polish government to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. As women of our EPP political family we must stay firm and united in our fight against genderbased violence. As women we need to continue putting pressure on our parties and governments to ratify and implement the Istanbul Convention.

The decision of the European Parliament that you have worked for so hard, strengthens our fight as EPP Women on the European as well as national levels. We will inform our national women’s organization of the decision of the European Parliament. And we will call upon them to exert influence where they can, to speed up taking effective measures to combat gender-based violence in their countries.

Dear Arba, thank you again for your commitment to women’s rights and gender equality! Your contribution to the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by the EU is utmost motivating for all our EPP female politicians.

Your cordially,
Rozália Biró
EPP Women President

A copy of this letter is sent to:

• Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament
• Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
• Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
• EPPW national member organization