Brussels, 07/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Eurojust, the European Union's judicial coordination unit, should have wider powers, including allowing its national members to initiate judicial proceedings in their respective countries, said the Hague-based Agency's President José Luis Lopes de Mota. “Eurojust is a body of prosecutors who don't prosecute anything. As a national member, I only have the possibility of asking my colleague (in Lisbon) to consider initiating judicial proceedings,” he lamented at a press conference held at the European Parliament on Tuesday 6 May on the initiative of Renate Weber (ALDE, Romania). Giving Eurojust national members such prerogatives is at the heart of a draft decision put forward by 14 member states in January with the aim of strengthening the Agency. Some dozen member states, however, led by Germany, currently reject giving Eurojust national members the same power as their national counterparts. Nonetheless, “introducing such an amendment won't change the philosophy of Eurojust,” said Lopes da Mota, arguing that the Agency had no ambitions towards being “a supranational power”. In presenting the 2007 Eurojust report, he, nevertheless, welcomed the improved cooperation with member states, which had resulted in a 46% increase in the cases referred to it, compared with 2006 - 1,085 cases in total. Weber, expressed her concern over the draft Council decision. While the Slovenian Presidency wants to conclude the text before the end of its mandate, Weber, as the rapporteur, felt that several issues had to be carefully examined to ensure balance between the powers of Eurojust and national members, on the one hand, and defendants' right to defence and a fair trial, on the other. She expressed concern, for example, over data protection since Eurojust will have access to a great many data which could be sent to third countries. Weber argued for restrictions on the powers of national members so that Eurojust did not become a “super European prosecutor”. She also came out in favour of greater protection of procedural rights to avoid any hindrance to the law when Eurojust takes, for example, specific investigation measures. She said that it would be highly desirable to have a sunset clause which would make compulsory the revision of the amended decision after the Lisbon Treaty comes into force. Finally, she said she was particularly concerned because there was no reference to the role of the Parliament in the text despite the fact that, in future, Parliament will have co-decision powers on criminal justice matters. (B.C.)