Family Law

The European Parliament has voted with an overwhelming majority (602 votes in favour, 23 against, 63 abstentions) to endorse the European Commission's proposal for an EU-wide violence protection order.

The new regulation will mean that citizens who have suffered domestic violence can rely on a restraining order obtained in their home country wherever they are in the EU: the protection will travel with the citizens. In practice, the EU law will benefit women in particular: around one in five women in Europe have suffered physical violence at least once in their life, according to surveys.

The draft Regulation will now pass to the Council for formal adoption, expected at the meeting of European Justice Ministers in June.

The measures are contained within a Regulation on mutual recognition of civil law protection measures and a Directive on victims' rights. Once the Regulation is adopted and published in the EU's Official Journal, Members States will need to implement both the Regulation and the Directive.