Member of the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Elvira Kovacs addressed the Parliamentary Assembly as representative of the Political Group of the European People’s Party, who said that the Istanbul Convention provides a comprehensive framework for preventing violence against women, protecting the victims and prosecuting the perpetrators. Kovacs stressed that every state duty-bound to prevent, stop and punish violence against women. "Domestic violence should never be seen as the domain of invisible, private suffering of women, it is a major social problem," said Kovacs. For the Istanbul Convention to have any real impact on the lives of millions of women, it is of paramount importance to harmonise national legislation with the Convention, Kovacs concluded.

Delegation member Dubravka Filipovski also took part in the debate, citing the experience of Serbia, which was among the first eight countries to ratify the Istanbul Convention, and adding that the Convention is the best tool for effectively reducing domestic violence and violence against women, create better living conditions and a consistent respect for the culture of human rights. "Serbia changed its criminal legislation, adopted special laws on domestic violence and introduced emergency measures to ban access to the victim," Filipovski said.