ZAGREB, March 8, 2018 – Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy Minister Nada Murganić said on Thursday that regarding the ratification of the Istanbul convention, the government would put forward a document containing allowed reservations and special statements conveying respect for values promulgated by the Croatian Constitution.
Murganić recalled that work on the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul convention) had been underway for quite some time, that the document had been put to public consultation and that the process of public consultation had made it evident that there existed different views on some articles of the convention.
“It is for this reason that we are being considerate and have been working on a document that will convey our clear commitment. We will propose for adoption a law into which it will be possible to incorporate certain reservations. This also refers to special statements expressing commitment to constitutional values. On the other hand, we will insist on protection against violence for all our citizens,” said Murganić. She did not elaborate on the nature of the reservations in question.
The minister said that talks with the coalition partners were under way and that the draft document containing allowed reservations would be presented at a government session. The coalition partners mostly support the complete ratification of convention.
Speaking at a government session earlier in the day, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković expressed confidence that the government would discuss the Istanbul convention in two weeks’ time, after which the document would be sent to the parliament for ratification.
