In April 2010, a group of seven Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Estonia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) put forward a proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council regarding the European Investigation Order in criminal matters (hereafter "the EIO") which would replace the existing legal framework applicable to the gathering and transfer of evidence between the member states. The EIO is a proposed procedure that would allow an authority in one member state (the "issuing authority") to request specific criminal investigative measures be carried out by an authority in another member state (the "executing authority").
The most significant innovations introduced by the EIO are described below:
A partial general approach on the main regime has been reached at the meeting of the Council on 10 June 2011, allowing to proceed with the examination of the specific provisions on certain investigative measures.
Though the directive is still at the draft stage and has yet to be approved by the European Parliament and EU Council, it has been criticised by Fair Trials International and some UK parliamentarians, who fear that it will allow increased police surveillance and disproportionate use of investigative powers in trivial matters.[2][3]