THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

- supports the idea of improving the situation and rights of crime victims. This is an important element of implementing the Stockholm programme and action plan to build a genuine area of freedom, rights and security in Europe, which in turn is a key element of European integration and an objective of the EU;
- welcomes the fact that local authorities and regions are being involved in these efforts. They have a crucial role in providing many of the services and structures to support victims of crime, and the proposed minimum standards at EU level will inevitably continue to have an impact at local and regional level after the adoption of the Commission's package on victims' rights;
- stresses that the legislative package on victims' rights proposed by the Commission will have an important impact at local and regional level, notably with regard to its financial consequences;
- considers it important that solutions must be found to balance the rights of victims while guaranteeing the presumption of innocence in criminal proceedings as well as the individual rights of suspects and condemned criminals;
- suggests that the EU should play a more active role in coordinating tasks among the Member States.