European Union
Minimum Standards on the Rights, Support and Protection of Victims of Crime
The European Union’s primary legal framework is founded on the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. On this basis, the EU adopts secondary legislation, including Regulations, Directives, and Decisions. Regulations are, in principle, directly applicable in all Member States, whereas Directives establish common objectives that Member States must achieve through national legislation, a process known as transposition. The core EU legal framework governing the rights of victims of crime takes the form of a Directive.
In 2012, the EU adopted Directive 2012/29/EU, establishing for the first time common minimum standards for all victims of crime in relation to access to information, support services, protection and safety, and participation in criminal proceedings. After approximately a decade of implementation, the European Commission completed SWD(2022) 179 final in 2022 and identified significant disparities in the level of protection available across Member States. The Commission therefore presented the legislative proposal 2023/0250(COD) in 2023. Ultimately, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union formally adopted Directive (EU) 2026/1472 in 2026, further strengthening the framework in areas including reporting channels, victim support services, individual assessment, participation in proceedings, privacy protection, and inter-agency cooperation.
To understand the framework as a whole, readers may wish to begin with the Directive (EU) 2026/1472 | Overview, which provides a concise introduction to the latest legislative changes and their relevance to Taiwan. Readers may then consult the Directive 2012/29/EU | Overview to trace the original framework of fundamental rights established by the Directive. For those who wish to consult the complete text incorporating the 2026 amendments and currently in force, see the Amended in 2026 | Consolidated Text.
The 2026 amendments do not mark the end of reform. The EU is continuing to advance the transposition of the new Directive across Member States and is also developing the EU Strategy on Victims’ Rights 2026–2030, with the aim of further strengthening implementation, responding to emerging forms of crime, and ensuring that the legal framework addresses victims’ actual needs in practice.
