site.btaForeign Ministry: Bulgaria Reaffirms Position against EU's Accession to the Istanbul Convention without Prior Common Agreement

At the General Affairs Council meeting on February 21, the Council decided by a qualified majority to request the consent of the European Parliament to adopt the two draft decisions on the conclusion by the EU of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).

Bulgaria is strongly committed to combating domestic violence and violence against women. The Bulgarian government and civil society are working actively to prevent such forms of violence and to provide protection and support to its victims.

In 2018, Bulgaria's Constitutional Court adopted a decision stating that the Istanbul Convention advances legal concepts related to the notion of gender that are incompatible with fundamental principles of the Bulgarian Constitution. In line with this decision, Bulgaria did not support the two draft Council decisions on ratification by the EU of the Istanbul Convention, with which the Council seeks the consent of the European Parliament.

The decision on the EU's accession to the Istanbul Convention will be taken by the Council by a qualified majority. The vote is most likely to take place in June 2023, after receiving the European Parliament's approval.

On February 15, the European Parliament in plenary adopted a resolution urging the Council to ensure the EU's swift ratification of the Istanbul Convention without further delay.