Latvia's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention will create a negative presumption regarding the state and potentially negatively impact international cooperation; however, it will not lead to a significant reduction in legal obligations. This was stated by Inga Reine, a judge of the General Court of the European Union, in an interview on the program "900 Seconds" (TV3), as reported by LETA.
She emphasized that regardless of whether Latvia denounces the Istanbul Convention or not, it will continue to operate within the framework of EU law, and Latvia will be obliged to fulfill its obligations arising from EU legislation in any case.
"Thus, this will rather be perceived as a lack of political will. This may create a certain negative presumption regarding Latvia, but the obligations will not significantly diminish," noted Reine.
According to the judge, such a situation will create a negative presumption in the case of individual complaints, and at the international level, it may affect cooperation between states.
"If we are not part of this instrument, it will create a negative presumption in other countries when cooperation with Latvia is required — for example, in decision-making, requests for legal assistance, not to mention Latvia's own international ambitions," she pointed out.
When asked whether the withdrawal could signal that Latvia questions international law, Reine replied that such an interpretation is possible.
As previously reported, last Thursday, the majority of Saeima deputies supported a declaration prepared by representatives of the National Alliance (NA), the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZSS), and the United List (OS), which they present as an "alternative to the Istanbul Convention," which these parties intend to denounce.
At the end of September, after the ZSS voted in the Saeima for the denunciation of the Istanbul Convention, pronounced instability began in the ruling coalition.
In Latvia, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, the so-called Istanbul Convention, came into force on May 1 of last year. This international treaty obliges the participating states to develop a coordinated policy for better protection of women from all forms of violence, as well as men and women from domestic violence. In particular, countries are required to provide comprehensive assistance and protection to victims, establish crisis centers, a 24-hour hotline, specialized centers for victims of sexual violence, as well as protect and support children who have witnessed violence.
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