Brussels, 26/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission told a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper), that "the UK Presidency should make contact with the European Parliament very soon ", a European source told EUROPE, adding that "the Commission is concerned at the existence of major divisions within the Parliament and the Council". Many differences of opinion between the States came to light at this meeting of Coreper. France has even noted a step backward on all important points related to the holding of data. On the subject and scope of the directive, the Presidency proposed to the Member States to remove the reference to crime prevention and to apply the text to all crimes. Although Spain supports these two UK recommendations, Italy, on the other hand, is in favour of keeping the reference to the prevention of crime and several countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Greece and Portugal, are not in favour of access to data for all types of criminal acts. On the length of time for which data may be held, Greece, Slovakia and Italy feel that the duration of six months to two years proposed by the Presidency is too long. Reflection is also underway on the consequences of allowing the States to choose the means to cover the costs incurred in holding data. Effectively, if a Member State pays compensation to national companies, another Member State may feel that it is the victim of competition distortion and thus bring the matter to the European Court of Justice. The next debate within Coreper will take place on 3 November and focus on incomplete telephone calls. Between now and then, the Presidency of the Council has committed to communicate more with the EP. The committee on civil liberties at the European Parliament, which is chaired by Jean-Marie Cavada, has been involved with the debate as, if an agreement is concluded on holding data, this will be on the basis of the first pillar of the treaty (EUROPE 9047). The French MEP Martine Roure (PES) told EUROPE that "we need data retention within a framework" and added that "the proposed directive must grant greater protection to the citizens and sanctions in case of abuse". The member of the European Parliament also believes that a compromise will be "more difficult to find between the States than at the European Parliament". The amendments to the proposed directive were tabled in Strasbourg on Wednesday and the vote of the MEPs is planned for 23 November. A compromise text will be finalised before the end of December.