JEF Finland condemns the Latvian parliament’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention and demands immediate action to safeguard the convention’s principles.
Latvia’s decision threatens the EU’s credibility as a defender of human rights, so the Union must ensure, in unity, the full implementation of the convention in all its member states.
The Istanbul Convention is a Council of Europe treaty that obliges states to prevent and combat violence against women, promote equality, and protect victims of violence across Europe. The convention entered into force in 2014. Its implementation has improved the capacity of police, the judiciary, and social services to identify and intervene in violence early, which has helped reduce serious violent incidents in many member states.
Latvia ratified the convention in spring 2024 and is now the first EU country, and the second Council of Europe member, to withdraw from it through a parliamentary vote. Parliament voted in favour of withdrawal on the initiative of right-wing parties. The decision was justified on the grounds that the convention contains too many principles related to gender theory — even though the Council of Europe has repeatedly refuted this.
It has been claimed in Latvia that national legislation already sufficiently protects the status of women and victims of violence, but the Istanbul Convention provides unified European obligations and practices that have proven effective in preventing violence against women and protecting victims.
Latvia’s withdrawal from the convention is a breach of shared European values. It weakens Europe’s and the EU’s credibility as a defender of human rights and equality, and it undermines the unity of the Council of Europe’s human rights system. At the same time, it goes against the spirit of the EU’s founding treaties: the Union must guarantee human rights and the rule of law in all its member states, and member states must in turn comply with them.
Latvia’s decision to withdraw is not merely a legal question but also a political concession to misogyny and to regression in equality policy. A Europe that allows even one member state to turn its back on victims of violence ultimately turns its back on European values as well.
JEF Finland emphasises that the rights of women and girls are an inseparable part of European democracy and its future. The EU must actively address all actions that undermine women’s safety or weaken the legal protection of victims of violence. In addition, political pressure must be built among member states towards those countries that have signed the convention but have delayed bringing it into force.
For more information:
Nea Baarman
President