EU Countries Reach Agreement on Constitution and Declaration on Combating All Kinds of Domestic Violence
Monday, June 28, 2004 11:20 AM

On Friday, June 18, the Member States of the European Union reached an agreement on the EU Constitutional Treaty. 

The new treaty has four parts. Part I defines the aims, competence and institutions of the Union. Part II lists the fundamental rights of EU citizens. Part III deals with regulations concerning the Union's separate policy areas and part IV contains general and final provisions. 

In addition, the European Union Member States agreed on Protocols and Declarations to be annexed to the treaty. Addendum two contains a Declaration on combating all kinds of domestic violence. (p. 66, available below)

According to Juliette Kamper, a policy officer at European Women's Lobby, "this Declaration will have no legal status but represents a moral obligation and political will. The scope of the Declaration is limited in that it only refers to domestic violence; it would have been much better if it referred to all forms of violence against women.  However, the wording chosen is particularly strong as it calls on Member States to take all necessary measures to prevent and punish domestic violence and to support and protect victims." 

Compiled from "EU countries reach agreement on Constitutional Treaty", Government Information Unit, Press release 200/2004, June 18 2004, available here (PDF).

A provisional consolidated version of the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe is available here (PDF, 325 pages).

Addendum One: Provisional consolidated version of the Protocols annexed to the Treaty establishind a Constitution for Europe and of Annexes I and II, available here (PDF, 351 pages).

Addendum Two: Provisional consolidated version of the Declarations to be annexed to the Final Act of the Intergovernmental Conference, available here (PDF, 88 pages)