Press Release: Criminal proceedings : Commission proposes European Evidence Warrant to facilitate the obtaining of evidence across frontiers

The European Commission presented a proposal on 14 November 2003 to create a European Evidence Warrant which would apply the principle of mutual recognition to obtaining certain types of evidence for use in criminal proceedings. The proposal is part of ongoing efforts by the European Union to create an area of freedom, security and justice and is based on the principle of mutual recognition of judicial decisions established by the 1999 Tampere European Council as the cornerstone of judicial co-operation.
The underlying idea is that the European Warrant is an order that would be issued by a judicial authority in one Member State and which would be directly recognised and enforced by a judicial authority in another Member State. Compared with the existing mutual assistance procedures that it would replace, the European Evidence Warrant would bring benefits including faster procedures and clear safeguards for the issuing of a warrant and for its execution. To be adopted, the proposal must be adopted unanimously by the Council of the European Union, after consulting the European Parliament.

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/justice_home/fsj/criminal/procedural/fsj_criminal_procedural_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/comm/justice_home/fsj/criminal/procedural/fsj_criminal_procedural_en.htm

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