Source: European Parliament
The availability of appropriately equipped and easily accessible rape crisis or sexual violence referral centres is a key element of the specialist support that victims of sexual violence will be entitled to under the recently adopted Directive (EU) 2024/1385[1].
In line with the standards of the Istanbul Convention[2], the directive requires that these centres exist in sufficient number and be adequately spread over the territory of each Member State.
The Commission will closely monitor compliance with these requirements in the context of the transposition of the Istanbul Convention and of the directive, for which implementation workshops will start in 2025.
Spain has allocated Next Generation EU funds for the construction of these centres. In particular, the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) for Spain[3], under Component 22, Investment 4, includes a target with number 327 related to the creation of 52 24-hour comprehensive care services for victims of sexual violence. The satisfactory fulfilment of this target of the plan will be assessed in the context of the 7th payment claim of the RRP.
The Commission remains committed to monitoring the effective use of EU funds allocated under the RRP and to ensuring full compliance with the newly adopted EU legislation on combating violence against women and domestic violence.
- [1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1385/oj/eng
- [2] Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence Istanbul, 11.V.2011.
- [3] https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility/country-pages/spains-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en