The European Commission has proposed expanding the regulatory powers of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) to collect, store and share evidence on war crimes and exchange it with international authorities.

The proposal comes on the heels of reports of atrocities in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where mass graves were discovered earlier this month— a move that prompted the EU to establish a joint investigation team with Ukraine to collect evidence, assisted by Eurojust and Europol.

While Eurojust is able to assist member states investigating crime, including international crimes, it currently cannot preserve evidence on a more permanent basis, analyze and exchange it, or directly cooperate with international judicial authorities, the Commission said in a statement.

The proposal will be considered by the European Parliament and the Council at a date to be determined. 

"While Eurojust has practical experience on international crimes, the existing regulation did not envisage a situation of this scale and crimes of this extent, requiring an update in Eurojust's legal base," the statement said.

"Due to the ongoing hostilities, evidence cannot be preserved securely in Ukraine. Thus, it is necessary to set up a central backup storage, where evidence collected by Union agencies and bodies as well as national and international authorities or third parties, such as civil society organizations, could be preserved," it said.

The current number of registered incidents of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine is already over 6000, according to the Commission. The Ukrainian General Prosecution Office, 11 EU member states, and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have opened investigations for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine.

In Germany, the Federal Prosecutor's Office confirmed it had initiated structural investigations.

"There are concrete indications that war crimes may have already been committed, in particular war crimes involving the use of prohibited methods of warfare against Ukrainian civilians and civilian objects," a spokesperson said.