Following the evaluation of the Victim’s Rights Directive (Directive 2012/29/EU - VRD) by the European Commission in 2021 - for which the EFRJ contributed by sending its evaluation on the restorative justice provisions (here more information) - the European Commission has included in its Work Programme for 2022 a proposal for a revision of the VRD. As part of the revision process, the European Commission launched a public consultation aimed to identifying possible policy options and ways in which the existing rights of victims could be further strengthened.
Building on the above mentioned EFRJ Position Paper on the Evaluation of the Restorative Justice provisions of the VRD and thanks to the contribution of EFRJ members and inputs of relevant stakeholders, the EFRJ contributed to the consultation by submitting to the European Commission its position paper. Grounded on evidence-based arguments and supported by relevant international (legal and policy) documents, we present concrete recommendations on how restorative justice could be included in the revised VRD.
A special thanks goes to Ian Marder, Ivo Aartsen, Antonio Buonatesta and Antony Pemberton for their precious contributions.