16/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a judgment delivered on 14 October, Advocate General Yves Bot considers that Directive 2006/24/EC is correctly founded on Article 95 of the EC Treaty (case C-301/06). The directive sets out the arrangements for the compulsory retention of data by communication services providers, for the purposes of police and judicial cooperation, including combating terrorism. Ireland, supported by Slovakia, called for the directive to be annulled, arguing that it ought to have been based on Article 4, since its ultimate purpose is judicial and, therefore, falls under the third pillar. The advocate general decided that the arrangements in the directive itself refer only to internal market matters. The directive was the subject of considerable controversy when it was introduced in, 2006 (see EUROPE 9136). EUROPE will return to this case when the Court delivers its final ruling in the next few months. (C.D./transl.rt)