Directive 2023/1544 - Harmonised rules on the designation of designated establishments and the appointment of legal representatives for the purpose of gathering electronic evidence in criminal proceedings - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 191/181

Network-based services can be provided from anywhere and do not require physical infrastructure, premises or staff in the country where the relevant service is offered, or in the internal market itself. As a consequence, it can be difficult to apply and enforce obligations laid down in national and Union law which apply to the service providers concerned, in particular the obligation to comply with an order or a decision by a judicial authority. This is the case in particular in criminal law, where Member States’ authorities face difficulties with serving, ensuring compliance with and enforcing their decisions, in particular where relevant services are provided from a location outside their territory. Against that background, Member States have taken a variety of disparate measures to more effectively apply and enforce their legislation. This includes measures for addressing service providers to obtain electronic evidence that is of relevance to criminal proceedings. To that end, some Member States have adopted, or are considering adopting, legislation imposing mandatory legal representation within their own territory, for a number of service providers offering services in that territory. Such requirements create obstacles to the free provision of services within the internal market.

There is a risk that, in the absence of a Union-wide approach, Member States will try to overcome existing shortcomings related to gathering electronic evidence in criminal proceedings by imposing disparate national obligations. Such disparate national obligations would create further obstacles to the free provision of services within the internal market.

The absence of a Union-wide approach results in legal uncertainty affecting both service providers and national authorities. Disparate and possibly conflicting obligations apply to service providers established or offering services in different Member States, which results in such service providers being subject to different penalties in the event of violations. Such divergences in the framework for criminal proceedings will likely further expand because of the growing importance of communication and information society services in our daily lives and our societies. Such divergences not only represent an obstacle to the proper functioning of the internal market, but also entail problems for the establishment and correct functioning of the Union’s area of freedom, security and justice.

To avoid divergences in the legal framework and to ensure that undertakings active in the internal market are subject to the same or similar obligations, the Union has adopted a number of legal acts in related fields such as data protection, namely Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) and Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4). To increase the level of protection for the data subjects, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 provides for the designation of a legal representative in the Union by controllers or...