Viviane Reding

Vice-President of the European Commission, EU Justice Commissioner

Strengthening victims’ rights – Doing justice for the victims of crime

Conference organised by Victim Support Europe/Brussels

6 November 2013

Main Messages

Justice cannot be done if the victim is forgotten and not treated justly.

We needed to give victims across the European Union a voice in the criminal justice systems.

EU laws on victims adopted since 2011 must not become a dead letter: the measures agreed at EU level should now be translated into national law.

Crime does not pay, but criminals should. We should consider action on offender compensation and other restitution schemes.

We should reflect on the possibilities to develop crime victims' funds financed by penalties, fines or surcharges.

(...)

Design future action

Our work should not stop here. We must continue to look at gaps we should address in the future.

In this context, I welcome Victim Support Europe and its members for the Manifesto 2014-2019 being presented today. This is a healthy sign of vitality in this area and provides many good ideas for future reflection.

Let me from my side also add a few other ideas:

• first, compensation for victims of crime: crime does not pay, but criminals should. We should consider action on offender compensation and other restitution schemes. This is essential to ensure that victims obtain a fair compensation as they rebuild their lives.
• second, building on the examples operating in some Member States we should reflect on the possibilities to develop crime victims funds financed by penalties, fines or surcharges.
• third, researching further into the benefits of restorative justice and victim-offender mediation schemes.
• fourth, develop concrete projects to promote pan-European victims of crime awareness events.

These are ideas that could be put in practice over the next five years. To this end, I hope you will be able to continue to provide the Commission with your expertise and your help to ensure that victims’ rights are further developed.

In two weeks – on 21 and 22 November – the Commission will hold the Assises de la Justice. It will be an event to begin a reflection on how best to shape justice policies in Europe for the years to come.

I would like to see the ideas put forward by Victim Support Europe today also forming part of the discussions at the Assises. I hope we can count on your presence and discuss further these ideas.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A key test to judge the quality of a justice system is to see how victims are treated. It is therefore crucial not only to combat and prevent crime, but also to properly support and protect individuals who do fall victim to crime.

To strengthen mutual trust across the European Union we have a duty not only to uphold the rights of individuals who are accused or convicted of a crime but also to protect the rights of the victims of crime. This is why I have taken action to ensure that around Europe, victims' needs are recognised and victims treated with respect and sensitivity.

We will never be able to reverse the suffering of victims of crime or restore all that they have lost. We must, nevertheless, continue to do our utmost to minimise the frustration and confusion that victims of crime have to live through after the crime. Justice cannot be done if the victim is forgotten and not treated justly.

Thank you for your attention.

Full speech in http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-885_en.htm