The European Commission proposed new rules to ensure any European Union resident accused of a crime in another EU country is informed of their rights in a language they understand.

Under the proposal, officials would have to provide suspects with a letter of rights written in a language with which they are familiar. It would also have to be free of legal jargon.

‘It is not about changing the rules in the member states, it’s about giving citizens rights when they travel, for legal certainty,’ said Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding.

The measures, which need to be approved by EU member states and the European Parliament to become law, are part of a six-part proposal to create minimum common rights for criminal suspects in each of the bloc’s 27 member states.

Reding cited one recent case in an EU country when two men were interrogated without access to lawyers and forced to sign confessions in a language they did not understand.

Reding added that the proposal would prevent case like this and reduce the number of appeals.

The template of the letter tells suspects they have the right to be informed of the charges against them, and to have a lawyer, an interpreter and translations of documents. It also informs them how long they can be detained.

The EU would provide the letter in the 23 official EU languages to limit translation costs to member states, but countries would be free to determine the exact wording.

If criminal justice authorities failed to provide a suspect with a letter of rights, national criminal procedures, not EU procedures, would apply, Reding said.

The rights of criminal suspects vary widely across the EU.

Six member states, including Denmark and France, give suspects no written information on their rights, according to a study by the University of Maastricht last year.

In 2008, EU countries issued 14,000 cross-border arrest warrants. An EU official said member states had asked the Commission to draw up the proposal and it was not expected to be opposed by EU member states or the parliament.

REUTERS