Brussels, 18/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - The EU Council is openly critical of the introduction by the European Commission of an initiative competing with its own on the rights of suspects in criminal proceedings. On Tuesday 9 March, the Commission put forward a proposal for a directive aimed at making it an obligation for member states to provide full interpretation and translating services for suspects involved in criminal proceedings (EUROPE 10094). The Council, however, was already working on an almost identical proposal from the Spanish Presidency, supported by 12 member states. The presentation of the new Commission proposal immediately prompted a reaction from Council (EUROPE 10096). This time, the Council has decided to make an official protest. With a mandate from the 27 member states, the Spanish justice minister, Francisco Caamaño, sent a letter, on Thursday 18 March, to the European commissioner for justice, Viviane Reding, expressing the discontent felt by member states. The Council “regrets” the unexpected adoption of this new proposal, the Spanish minister states in his letter. Member states fear that the proposal from the European executive, which “duplicates” their own, conveys a “confusing message” to the outside world and especially to the European Parliament, the Council states. Furthermore, as Caamaño points out, the Commission proposal “risks jeopardising the objective of reaching a quick agreement on the draft directive” presented by member states. Speaking on behalf of the Council, the minister therefore encourages the Commission to closely cooperate with the two other institutions to reach an agreement on the text in June 2010, given that the Parliament will take up, in the form of amendments, the main advances made in the Commission proposal. In a parallel letter, addressed to the chairman of the European Parliament's civil liberties committee (LIBE), Juan Fernando López Aguilar, the minister calls on the Parliament to continue working on the member states' initiative, rather than on that from the Commission. During a debate in the civil liberties committee, on Wednesday 17 March, the rapporteur for the text, Sarah Ludford (ALDE, Britain) clearly stated she would continue working on the basis of the initiative from member states, despite opposition from many of her colleagues. Her decision to do so is backed by the fact that the United Kingdom carried out an opt-out on 8 March to take part in the adoption of the draft directive of the member states. Sarah Ludford hopes to move forward quite rapidly as the British parliamentary election, scheduled for 6 March, could bring the Conservatives to power, and they are opposed to such a project. (B.C./transl.jl)