The second main legislative instrument is Council Framework Decision 2001/220/JHA of 15
March 2001 on the Standing of Victims in Criminal Proceedings (‘the 2001 Framework
Decision’). This Framework Decision does not explicitly refer to trafficking victims, but instead
addresses victims of any crime covered by the national law of Member States. It sets out the
assistance and protection to be provided to victims of crime, including the procedure during
hearings and the provision of evidence, however as with the 2004 Directive, many of its
provisions have been incorporated into Directive 2011/36/EU. Council Framework Decisions
have now become obsolete following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in December
2009. Under the previous procedures, Framework Decisions were a legislative tool that the
Council of Ministers of the European Union adopted unanimously on a proposal by the European
Commission or any EU member state and after consulting with the European Parliament