The Commission is preparing new measures for victims of digital crime, children, and vulnerable individuals.

The new European strategy on victims' rights will address access to support, reporting crimes, protection during judicial proceedings, and compensation after the conviction of offenders. The Commission has opened a public consultation until November 5 and intends to adopt the strategy in the last quarter of 2026.

The European Commission is preparing a new strategy on victims' rights that will include additional measures for individuals affected by digital crime, children, victims of terrorism, persons with disabilities, and groups exposed to discrimination, in conditions where the rights provided by EU legislation are not applied uniformly in practice.

In short

The public consultation is open between August 13 and November 5, 2026, and the Commission intends to adopt the strategy in the fourth quarter of the year.

The strategy will address crime reporting, rapid access to services tailored to the victim's needs, effective participation in judicial proceedings, protection against repeated victimization, and access to compensation.

Special attention will be given to children, victims of digital crime, terrorism, persons with disabilities, older individuals affected by online fraud, and groups exposed to discrimination.

The Commission seeks closer cooperation between authorities in different member states for cross-border cases, including when victims, offenders, service providers, and evidence are in different countries.

The strategy will not introduce new legislation per se, being prepared in the form of a Communication from the Commission that will complement the application of the revised Directive on victims' rights and other European norms.

The European Commission has opened a 12-week public consultation to establish the measures that will be included in the next EU strategy on victims' rights, intended for the period following the conclusion of the 2020–2025 strategy.

The consultation takes place between August 13 and November 5 and is addressed to crime victims, citizens, law enforcement authorities, courts, support services, civil society organizations, researchers, and other professionals working with victims.

The Commission intends to adopt the strategy in the last quarter of 2026. The timeline and final content remain under preparation and may be modified based on the results of the consultation and subsequent decisions of the Commission.

The strategy will complement the European legislative framework, including the revised Directive on victims' rights, adopted in June, and is not prepared as a new legislative act. The Commission will present it in the form of a Communication that will establish priorities, actions, and coordination methods between European institutions, member states, and involved organizations.

Preparatory documents identify a gap between existing rights in European legislation and the ability of victims to effectively exercise them. The Commission believes that member states still lack sufficiently coherent and victim-centered measures capable of providing support throughout the duration of their contact with the criminal justice system.

The first targeted area is crime reporting. The strategy will analyze ways in which victims can more easily receive information about their rights and the procedure for reporting to the authorities.

The Commission believes that reporting systems need to be more efficient and accessible, and the population should be better informed about existing support options. A low reporting rate can hinder both the protection of the victim and the investigation of crimes.

A second objective is rapid access to support services tailored to the individual situation. The Commission wants assistance to be available for as long as necessary and to take into account the type of crime, the risk to which the person is exposed, and the physical or psychological consequences.

The strategy will promote a trauma-sensitive approach and be adapted for children. Measures are also foreseen to enable persons with disabilities to exercise their rights under comparable conditions to other victims.

After reporting the crime, the preparatory document provides for an individual assessment of the victim's needs and addressing them in a manner adapted to their situation by support services and competent authorities.

During judicial proceedings, the Commission aims for victims to be effectively heard and to benefit from protection against intimidation, retaliation, and secondary or repeated victimization.

The strategy will also analyze the role of restorative justice. This may include, when conditions allow and the victim consents, mediation or other procedures through which the consequences of the crime are addressed beyond the criminal sanction of the offender.

Another priority concerns compensation. The Commission identifies the need for more efficient mechanisms through which victims can receive financial reparations from the offender or the state, in situations provided for by legislation.

The strategy will follow the victim's path even after the conviction is pronounced. Protection and compensation measures should not automatically cease once the criminal process ends if the person continues to suffer the consequences of the crime.

The Commission is preparing these measures in the context of new forms of crime and the increasing digital component of serious and organized crime. Preparatory documents show that almost all serious and organized criminal activities currently have a digital component.

The Executive Vice-President of the Commission for technological sovereignty, security, and democracy, Henna Virkkunen, highlighted the large number of individuals who can be simultaneously affected by online crimes.

"Crime is a trauma for millions of victims every year. They need full support and protection from public authorities. In the digital environment, cybercrime operates on a large scale, across borders, and can simultaneously affect numerous victims. We need the contribution of everyone to ensure that we enhance support for all crime victims across the EU," said Virkkunen.

Digital crime raises different issues than those of a crime committed in a single location. The offender may operate from one state, the victim may reside in another, the platform or digital service provider in a third jurisdiction, and the evidence may be stored in multiple countries.

The strategy will seek to strengthen the role of European institutions in such cases and create mechanisms through which national authorities can exchange information regarding standards and best practices for protecting victims.

Cooperation structures between multiple authorities and services are being considered, so that the victim does not have to manage separately the relationship with the police, prosecutors, courts, social services, and support organizations.

A more important role may be assigned to European agencies in the fields of justice and home affairs. The preparatory document mentions the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Eurojust, and CEPOL among the institutions that could participate in implementing the measures.

In cross-border cases with a large number of victims, including those resulting from online crime, the Commission aims to strengthen the capacity of these structures to support national authorities.

Children represent one of the groups for which specific measures are being prepared. The strategy will include an age- and vulnerability-appropriate approach and will specifically analyze situations in which minors are victims of digital crimes.

The consultation will include dedicated meetings for child victims and restorative justice. The Commission will also discuss with organizations that work directly with individuals affected by crimes.

Victims of terrorism will constitute another group targeted by common actions at the European level, alongside individuals belonging to groups exposed to discrimination and victims with disabilities.

In the field of digital crimes, the preparatory document explicitly mentions older individuals among the groups that may require special support.

The strategy will also include a component regarding crisis preparedness. The Commission wants authorities and society to be able to provide rapid assistance when major events simultaneously produce a large number of victims.

This dimension may concern situations in which ordinary support structures are overwhelmed, without the published documents so far establishing the exact types of crises or the mechanisms that will be created.

The European Commissioner for democracy, justice, the rule of law, and consumer protection, Michael McGrath, stated that the new phase must focus on the effective implementation of already established rights.

"No one expects to become a victim of a crime. That is why we, as public authorities, have the responsibility to ensure that victims are protected and supported when they need it most. Through the revised Directive on victims' rights, we have strengthened European standards. Now we must ensure that these rights become a reality across the EU. This is what the new strategy will achieve," said McGrath.

He called for the participation of citizens and organizations in the consultation, arguing that crimes can affect anyone and that protecting victims should not be treated exclusively as a problem of the judicial system.

The revised Directive on victims' rights strengthens the legal framework that the strategy must support through implementation and coordination measures.

The new strategy will also need to ensure the coherent application of other European acts that contain rights for victims, including rules on combating violence against women and domestic violence and the revised Directive on combating human trafficking.

The Commission will also take into account the Directive on compensation for victims of crime, as well as the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union in this area.

Measures will not only be implemented by the Commission. The strategy is designed to involve national authorities, EU agencies, civil society, and international organizations.

The European network on victims' rights and the Platform on victims' rights will be used for the exchange of experience and monitoring the implementation of the strategy.

The Platform was created during the previous strategy to bring together European institutions, member states, civil society organizations, and professionals working in the field.

The 2020–2025 strategy also included the "Keep your Eyes Open" campaign, aimed at raising awareness of victims' rights. The new strategy will continue to use communication tools to improve knowledge of rights and available services.

The Commission intends to maintain cooperation with international organizations, including the Council of Europe, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

An additional component concerns candidate and potential candidate countries. The Commission believes that standards regarding victims' rights must also be integrated into the cooperation associated with the enlargement policy.

The new strategy will not have a legislative impact assessment, as it is a Communication and does not introduce new legal obligations. Concrete actions may include European funding, administrative measures, coordination, and the activities of EU agencies.

The Commission will subsequently monitor the implementation of the strategy together with the Platform on victims' rights and the Agency for Fundamental Rights.

The current consultation is also accompanied by a separate open call for contributions until September 4. The Commission requests research, data, and analyses regarding victim protection, criminal law, digital regulation, and psychology.

Alongside the public consultation, discussions will take place with member states, the European Parliament, civil society organizations, and international bodies. After the consultation closes, the Commission will publish a summary of the contributions and explain how they have been taken into account.

The European framework on crime victims includes the Directive on victims' rights, rules for compensating victims, the European protection order, and sectoral legislation regarding specific forms of crime.

The first EU Strategy on victims' rights covered the period 2020–2025. The new strategy is scheduled for adoption in the fourth quarter of 2026 and will complement the legislative framework through policy measures, coordination, funding, and monitoring.

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