1.5.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 130/1 (Legislative acts) DIRECTIVES DIRECTIVE 2014/41/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 3 April 2014 regarding the European Investigation Order in criminal matters THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 82 (1)(a) thereof, Having regard to the initiative of the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Estonia, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Slovenia and the Kingdom of Sweden, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (!), Whereas: (1)  The European Union has set itself the objective of maintaining and developing an area of freedom, security and justice. (2)  Pursuant to Article 82(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the Union is to be based on the principle of mutual recognition of judgments and judicial decisions, which is, since the Tampere European Council of 15 and 16 October 1999, commonly referred to as a cornerstone of judicial cooperation in criminal matters within the Union. (3)  Council Framework Decision 2003/577/JHA (%) addressed the need for immediate mutual recognition of orders to prevent the destruction, transformation, moving, transfer or disposal of evidence. However, since that instru- ment is restricted to the freezing phase, a freezing order needs to be accompanied by a separate request for the transfer of the evidence to the State issuing the order (the issuing State’) in accordance with the rules applicable to mutual assistance in criminal matters. This results in a two-step procedure detrimental to its efficiency. More- over, this regime coexists with the traditional instruments of cooperation and is therefore seldom used in practice by the competent authorities. (4)  Council Framework Decision 2008/978JHA (*) concerning the European evidence warrant (EEW) was adopted to apply the principle of mutual recognition for the purpose of obtaining objects, documents and data for use in proceedings in criminal matters. However, the EEW is only applicable to evidence which already exists and covers therefore a limited spectrum of judicial cooperation in criminal matters with respect to evidence. Because of its limited scope, competent authorities have been free to use the new regime or to use mutual legal assistance pro- cedures which, in any case, remain applicable to evidence falling outside of the scope of the EEW. () Position of the European Parliament of 27 February 2014 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 14 March 2014. (%) Council Framework Decision 2003/577JHA of 22 July 2003 on the execution in the European Union of orders freezing property or evidence (OJ L 196, 2.8.2003, p. 45). () Council Framework Decision 2008/978/JHA of 18 December 2008 on the European evidence warrant for the purpose of obtaining objects, documents and data for use in proceedings in criminal matters (OJ L 350, 30.12.2008, p. 72).