On Wednesday evening, negotiators from Parliament reached an informal agreement with the Council to update the 2012 Victims’ Rights directive following a proposal by the Commission in 2023.

The agreement succeeds in:

• strengthening the rights of victims during criminal proceedings, including through information and emotional support at court premises, legal aid for the duration of the trial for victims with insufficient means, and speeding up payment of the awarded compensation by the offender;
• setting up helplines to provide information, support and referrals to relevant services, available online, via applications, and an EU-wide 116 006 phone number;
• introducing the possibility to report criminal offences in person and online, including for persons whose liberty is restricted, such as those people in prisons, in institutional care settings, and in immigration-related facilities for non-EU nationals. Third party reporting through civil society organisations should also be…