madam president i would also like to start by thanking the rapporteur for the very good cooperation we have had in this matter
as the shadow rapporteur for the ppe group i would like to present the ppe position on the framework decision as it is and of course on the amendments
the ppe position differs from that of the rapporteur on two matters
the first is the degree of involvement of eurojust in direct communication between the domestic authorities
while the rapporteur asks for mandatory involvement of eurojust in every case from the initial stage of communication we believe that the referral to eurojust should only take place when national authorities fail to reach consensus because after all as it is now this initiative is about direct communication
we too would like to strengthen eurojust and its part in the judicial cooperation
our position on this matter only seeks to prevent bureaucracy
if there is a possibility of the two parties reaching consensus why introduce another body and procedure
we do believe and agree that eurojust must play a role when the parties fail to reach consensus but where there is not a problem we give the national authorities the flexibility to have direct bilateral contacts which also boosts public trust
the second matter relates to another proposed amendment which extends the competence of eurojust beyond that provided in article four of the eurojust decision
we believe that this matter if it is to be discussed should be approached in relation to the eurojust decision via the main door
this is why we will vote against these amendments
however there are no key points so we will vote for the report as we want to encourage the exchange of information between national authorities
we also support the oral amendment tabled today
finally i would like to stress that the ppe is keen to see judicial cooperation enhanced and supports a european policy which should help citizens have the same guarantees and procedures in all member states
