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This section provides official documents detailing the history of negotiations between the EU institutions on the Directive on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings. The Directive began life as a Commission proposal for a Framework Decision in July 2009, which was drafted after negotiations on one legal instrument incorporating a number of procedural rights, proposed in 2004, fell apart. Negotiations between the Council and the Parliament (with some input from the Council of Europe) went on until November 2009, when it became apparent that the text would have to be 'Lisbonised' due to the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 1 December 2009. 13 Member States subsequently proposed a draft Directive; just months later the Commission made its own proposal. Negotiations continued on the basis of the Commission's text, and after one secret trilogue between the Council, Parliament and Commission, the final act was adopted in October 2010.
The documents below are provided in chronological order, with the most recent first. The adopted Directive can be found here.
"Delegations will find attached a document by EULITA [the European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association]."
The Council adopts the Directive on the right to interpretation and translation.
Information on the "state of play" on negotiations, and two aspects of the proposed Directive examined from the perspective of "e-Justice".
The "Friends of the Presidency" propose the adoption of a non-binding Council Recommendation on "best practice" with regard to interpretation and translation as "such instrument could provide further added value".
Council report on the EP plenary vote on a proposed amended version of the Directive, the text of which was based on a LIBE Committee report. This in turn was based on "informal contacts" between the Council, Parliament and Commission.
"As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act".
The LIBE Committee proposes a number of amendments to the legislation which were agreed during the "informal contacts" referred to in document 10984/10. The report was adopted with 38 MEPs in favour and 1 against.
Update on the "state of play" on inter-institutional negotiations: moving towards agreement and adoption.
"At the trilogue on 17/18 May 2010, the Presidency reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament and the Commission on the text of the draft Directive".
Contains a comparative table setting out the texts of Member States' original initiative, the LIBE Committee's amendments, the Commission proposal, and "a draft Council position established by the Friends of the Presidency in respect of these amendments.