Brussels, 03/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - As European elections and Commission renewal approach, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) calls on EU-decision-makers to ensure that there is proper coordination and coherence of policy in the justice sector, with particular attention to striking the right balance between fundamental rights and other political priorities, such as security. In its manifesto, the CCBE calls on the EU to: - establish a DG Justice at the European Commission; - guarantee the right of a client to consult a lawyer in full confidence; - protect the procedural rights of suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings in all member states; and - strike the right balance between liberty and security in legislation against terrorism and organised crime. With this manifesto, the CCBE, which represents over 700,000 lawyers in the EU, the European Economic Area and beyond, plans to heighten the awareness of European decision-makers to its concerns about how justice is currently addressed at European level. The text of the manifesto can be found at: http: //http://www.ccbe.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/document/Manifesto/manifesto_EN_web.pdf (O.L./transl.jl)